Bush says arrest, jailing of terrorists will test Arafat

AP Diplomatic WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Thursday a key test of Palestinian leaders' intentions will be whether 16 Hamas members arrested in response to a suicide bombing will remain in custody.

"I'm pleased that Chairman (Yasser) Arafat spoke in Arabic against terrorism. That's good. That's a positive development," Bush told reporters at the White House.

"Now it's up to Chairman Arafat to perform, to keep them in jail -- arrest them and keep them in jail. In order for there to be peace we must rout out terror."

As to Arafat's potential for living up to U.S. expectations, Bush added: "Time will tell."

Reports of the arrests by Palestinian police came from Hamas officials speaking on condition of anonymity. No senior member of the group, which the State Department lists as a terrorist organization, was among those arrested.

The Bush administration viewed the news skeptically because the Palestinian Authority has a history of making arrests under pressure, then quickly releasing the militants.

"The president views this again as a very key test of whether the Palestinian Authority is dedicated to what they promised at Oslo, which is justice and is what the world should expect of a group of people who want to be leaders of a state that focuses on stability," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. "If people are engaged in murder, they should be held accountable and a good government would arrest them and take it seriously and keep them locked up."

A top Palestinian official called on the Bush administration Thursday to exert pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to keep him from retaliating for the latest suicide bombing near Tel Aviv.

A military response by Israel "will only lead to more defiance and hostility to Israel," Hassan Abdel Rahman, who heads the Palestinian Liberation Organization's Washington offices, said at a news conference.

"You cannot let Mr. Sharon have a free hand," he said, denouncing the prime minister as a war criminal, a bully and a murderer.

Rahman said "we will do everything that we can" to deter attacks on Israeli civilians by Hamas.

But asked whether the United States has given a red or green light to Israel in its response, Fleischer said: "Israel does not ask the United States for lights of any shade or color and the United States does not give Israel any lights.

"Israel is a sovereign nation but at all times America's message to Israel is we're all in this together and Israel has to be very mindful of its responsibilities to protect peace in the region and work toward a vision of peace and that is the president's message to Israel," Fleischer said.

Urging the administration to restrain Sharon, Rahman said the prime minister "can be influenced; he cannot fight the entire international community."

After meeting with Bush on Tuesday, Sharon threatened a forcible response to the bombing that occurred during their White House session. "We hope there will be enough pressure to Mr. Sharon not to engage in such aggression," Rahman said.

Meanwhile, Tziti Livni, a member of Israel's legislature and an adviser to Sharon, said at a separate Washington session that if terror attacks on Israel are not stopped there will be no chance for an agreement with the Palestinians.

At the same time, she said, Israel cannot negotiate with a Palestinian leadership headed by Yasser Arafat.

"Arafat is not willing to accept the existence of Israel" and will not implement the reforms recommended by Bush without "an outside force" exerting influence, Livni said.

The back-and-firth came as the Bush administration struggled to articulate its Middle East policy amid competing pressures. As Israel decides how to respond to the latest Palestinian terror attack, the administration is sending mixed signals to both sides.

It is both supporting Israel's right to self-defense while also saying Israel should carefully consider the consequences of its actions.

And while the State Department cautiously approved Arafat's latest pledge to combat terror as a good first step, Bush lavished praise on the Palestinian leader.

He called Arafat's condemnation of terror against Israel an "incredibly positive sign." The State Department, by contrast, looked past Arafat's statement to insist that he mount a concerted drive against terror.

As a result, it was not clear whether the administration wants restraint from Israel and whether it intends to maintain its pressure campaign against Arafat or is content with his declaration to use Palestinian security forces to discourage attacks on Israel.

Sharon made clear Tuesday night, after seeing Bush in a meeting punctuated by a suicide bombing near Tel Aviv that killed 15, that he intends to respond vigorously. Israel's Security Cabinet early Thursday gave him the go-ahead to retaliate against "terrorist targets."

While neither was explicit about what they meant, both Bush and the State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, on Wednesday, called publicly on Israel to be mindful of the consequences of retaliating. And yet, Boucher also acknowledged Israel's right of self-defense.

"And whatever response Israel decides to take, my hope, of course, is that the prime minister keeps his vision of peace in mind," Bush said as he met with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House.