Bush asks Israel to withdraw forces

WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush called on Israel Tuesday to withdraw its forces from Palestinian areas of the West Bank "as quickly as possible." \nBush's statement at the White House eased a State Department demand for an immediate pullout. \nReporting on a meeting he had with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres of Israel, the President said, "I did express our concern about troops in Palestinian territory and I would hope the Israelis would move their troops as quickly as possible," Bush said. \nHe also urged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to arrest the assassins of an Israeli Cabinet minister "and others who would harm Israeli civilians."\n "That is just unacceptable behavior," Bush said of the slaying last week in Jerusalem of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is part of Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization, claimed responsibility. \n"We continue to call on upon Chairman Arafat to do everything he can to bring the killers to justice," Bush said. \nOnly a few hours earlier, after Peres met with Secretary of State Colin Powell, the State Department reiterated its demand for an immediate pullout. \nSpokesman Richard Boucher said the presence of the Israeli Defense Force "contributes to an escalation in violence, and it should be withdrawn immediately."\nPeres said Bush had told him violence in the Middle East was making it more difficult to keep the U.S.-led anti-terrorism coalition together. \nArab governments have consistently linked the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the conflict in Afghanistan and urged the Bush administration to correct what they claim is a pro-Israel tilt in its policy. \nAmr Moussa, secretary-general of the 21-nation Arab League, said here on Monday that terrorism "stems mostly from injustice to the Palestinians, who see no light at the end" of what he called "foreign military occupation."\nThe State Department has sought, publicly at least, to separate the drive against Osama bin Laden's organization in Afghanistan from the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. \n"These are two different situations and two different things," spokesman Boucher said Tuesday. \nAl-Qaida, he said, "are people that want to turn back the clock on civilization. They want to destroy Americans.'' \nStill, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said the State Department was hypocritical to criticize Israel for the way it tries to counter terrorism while the United States bombards terrorists in Afghanistan. \n"By condemning Israel for defending itself from terror attacks, I feel we are giving in to demands from terrorists like Osama bin Laden," Engel said in a statement. \nPeres, talking to reporters outside the White House about his meeting with Bush, said, "He would like very much the flames to go down, and I told him we shall do whatever we can to reduce them." \nBut Peres said earlier after meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell that Israeli forces would remain in Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank until Yasser Arafat orders terrorists arrested. \n"The secretary understands that," Peres said. \nBoucher said Powell "made quite clear we expect the Israelis to withdraw from the Palestinian areas." \nBoucher said the withdrawal should be undertaken immediately. \nIn the region, Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman said Israel was defying the United States and "the world's call" for a pullback. He accused Israel of aggression. \nRahman made no statement about Israeli and U.S. calls for arrests of terrorists.