US President George W. Bush suggested today he was satisfied with the pace of Israel's West Bank withdrawal, 12 days after he demanded it pull back without delay, and said he understood its reasons for continuing to occupy parts of Ramallah.
Saying Israel must continue its withdrawal, Mr Bush said it had met the timetable set out by Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon for wrapping up its West Bank offensive despite the fact that it did not immediately heed his call for a full pullout.
Speaking as he met US Secretary Mr Colin Powell to discuss his failed effort to to secure a cease-fire during an 11-day visit to the region, Mr Bush put pressure on Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat to crack down on terrorism, saying the United States will hold him to account for his anti-terror pledge.
Israel, which began its incursion on March 29th after a series of Palestinian suicide bombings, has said it will leave the West Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin and parts of Ramallah by Sunday but will remain at Mr Arafat's Ramallah compound and at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity for the time being.
Mr Powell's failure to secure a cease-fire has brought sharp criticism of the United States in the Arab world, where major newspapers said Mr Bush had given the Israelis a green light to continue its offensive and paved the way for fresh violence.
Mr Bush, who first called for Israel to withdraw on April 4th and two days later urged a pullout without delay, appeared to adopt a different standard in his remarks to reporters today.
Israel started withdrawing quickly after our call from smaller cities on the West Bank. "History will show that they have responded and as the prime minister said, told me, he gave me a timetable, and he's met the timetable," Mr Bush said.
Mr Bush also voiced sympathy for Mr Sharon's desire to find those who assassinated Mr Rehavam Zeevi, a far-right Israeli cabinet minister shot dead by Palestinian militants in October. Israeli security sources have said they believe that the mastermind of the killing is among those hiding in Mr Arafat's compound.