Peres urges Bush to condemn Palestinian violence and terrorism

Peres, left, and Bush at the Oval Office on Thursday

From Andrea Koppel
CNN State Department Correspondent

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Wrapping up his second and final day of meetings with the Bush administration, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said he wants Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to believe that if the violence continues "they'll (the Palestinians) lose the support of the United States."

Senior Israeli officials Thursday told CNN that Peres urged President Bush -- as well as other senior administration officials -- to publicly condemn all acts of terrorism by Palestinian groups. The implied target of the message, Israelis say, is Arafat.

"I believe that if Palestinians understand that they cannot have the United States on their side ... this will be one of the good reasons to stop the intifada," said Peres. For his part, Bush did make a general statement about U.S. opposition to terrorist acts, but stopped short of holding Arafat responsible.

RESOURCES Provisions of Egyptian-Jordanian peace initiative     AUDIO CNN's Jerrold Kessel: One Palestinian killed and eleven reported injured during Israeli incursion in Gaza 691 Kb/64 secs. AIFF or WAV sound    TIMELINES Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:  • Bombings  • Activist deaths     ALSO U.N. secretary-general calls for sharp cuts in Lebanon peacekeeping force Israel's Peres set to meet with U.S. officials

"This administration is actively engaged in, first and foremost, trying to break the cycle of terrorism that grips that part of the world," Bush said.

Israel also wants the Bush administration to designate two Palestinian groups as foreign terrorist organizations -- or FTOs -- a complicated and tedious legal process usually spearheaded by the U.S. State Department. If that were to happen, then the Washington office of the Palestinian Liberation Organization would have to close and its chief representative would have to return to the region.

In particular, Israeli officials said, they want the United States to designate Fatah and Force 17, both led by Arafat, as terrorist organizations.

"Maybe some of them think they can have a combination of terror and diplomacy, and the message must be that it does not go together," said Peres. "The Palestinians expect American aid. They need it."

Senior administration officials said the State Department is not considering any such action.

"We noted (Israel) wanted the U.S. to take a tough line," said one State Department official.

During his two-day diplomatic blitz, Peres said he also offered Israeli ideas on the Egyptian-Jordanian peace initiative -- essentially outlining steps Israel wants the Palestinians to take before peace talks might resume.

They "thought it was good" and believe Egypt and Jordan are "playing a supportive role ...(which is) welcomed," said Peres.

Peres also said that he had been "quoted wrongly" earlier this week about remarks he made during an appearance at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

One news report quoted Peres as saying that Yasser Arafat was not aware in advance of acts of violence or terrorism committed by Palestinian groups. Instead, Peres said, "maybe Arafat was unaware of it on one or two or three occasions" but was later informed (by Israel) and Israel "expected him to take measures but he did not."

That report, said Peres, "got me into a lot of trouble in Israel."

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