Bush looks for end of Mideast violence

Bush and Mubarak discussed diplomatic options in the Middle East.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With the escalation of bloodshed in the Middle East, President Bush is working "very hard to find a way to somehow break" the cycle of violence before it spills over into a wider conflict, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Wednesday.

The administration also ratcheted up a campaign urging Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to use restraint against Palestinians.

"[Bush] understands the right to defend, but the president wants it to be toned down so that people do not believe this becomes a matter of war," Fleischer told reporters.

On Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Colin Powell said both Palestinians and Israelis are "pursuing policies right now that will just lead to more violence." He urged Sharon to "take a hard look at his policies to see whether they will work."

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"If you declare a war against the Palestinians and think you can solve the problems by seeing how many Palestinians can be killed, I don't know that leads us to anywhere," Powell said at a hearing on the State Department budget in the House of Representatives. "Right now, I'm not satisfied that both sides have thought through the consequences of the policies they're following."

Sharon had defended his policies to members of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, on Monday, saying Israel was fighting a "harsh war against a cruel and bloodthirsty enemy."

Since last Thursday, 87 Israelis and Palestinians, including numerous children, have been killed in the back-and-forth violence. Dozens more have been wounded.

Powell: 'A tragic situation'

"It's a tragic situation," Powell said. "The president is committed to doing everything he can to see that we can get into a process of discussion, which will bring the violence to an end, bring a cease-fire into place and then get into peace discussions."

Fleischer said the president views the recent violence as "troubling."

"He's concerned about the loss of innocent Israelis, the loss of innocent Palestinians," Fleischer said. "He's working very hard to find a way to somehow ... help and make the violence stop."

Bush Tuesday met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has offered to host a summit between Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat -- an invitation that so far has not been accepted.

In addition to Mubarak's invitation to Sharon and Arafat, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah has offered his own Middle East peace plan. The centerpiece of that initiative is Arab states' recognition of Israel and normalization of relations: In exchange, Israel would agree to a full withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza, back to the borders in place before the 1967 Six-Day War.

Possible Mubarak visit 'helpful step'

The White House has yet to fully endorse the Saudi plan, but Fleischer said Bush would support sending Mubarak to Jerusalem to act as an intermediary of the Saudi plan "if the leaders in the region believe that would be a helpful step."

Rep. Tom Lantos, D-California, the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said he urged the Egyptian leader to go to Israel to explain the Saudi idea to Sharon and his advisers.

"I think it's extremely important that [a] dramatic new development take place in this climate, which is spiraling downhill," Lantos said. "And I think Mubarak has the gravitas and the experience and the knowledge to do this."

Mubarak did not immediately agree, Lantos said -- but, he added, the Egyptian president did not say no.

Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois, chairman of the International Relations Committee, called the proposal that Mubarak head to Israel something of "great interest." Hyde, also at the White House following a meeting with Bush, said the president thought it was an "interesting idea."

"It's an interesting proposal," Hyde said. "It's something new."

On Tuesday, Bush said his Middle East envoy, Anthony Zinni, is ready to return to the region when appropriate. But while Washington looked for ways to bring calm, Palestinians and Israelis continued to blame the other side for the current situation.

"I think Sharon's government's decisions are translated now into assassinations and to bombardments and to shellings and to F-16s and to missiles," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said. "This problem will never be solved militarily, and we hope that the Israeli public will understand that the reason for these killing fields out there is that they have a government that is trying to maintain the occupation."

Israeli Foreign Ministry adviser Danny Ayalon said, "The Palestinians have unleashed a war of terror, a war of terror against Israel. They mainly [target] civilians, children -- all families are being killed, defenseless people. This terror will stop and must stop. Israel will do everything to defend itself."

-- CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace contributed to this report.