The United States has delivered a stern warning to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat in the last few days, saying that if he does not act swiftly and decisively to root out terrorists, his days as the recognized leader of the Palestinian people are numbered.

A senior Bush administration official told the New York Times, "Arafat is well on course to bring himself down if he keeps going this way." The official said, "We're not going after Arafat and we haven't taken decisions or positions about Arafat as a leader."

Administration officials denied that the United States had given Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a green light to remove Arafat from his role as legitimate leader of the Palestinian people, the New York Times reported. "The last thing we need to see is the collapse of the whole Palestinian Authority," the unnamed official told the paper.

The United States reportedly delivered an ultimatum to Arafat after the weekend's terrorist attacks that left 26 Israelis dead and more than 200 injured, Yediot Aharonot reported. Either Arafat showed immediate results in his battle against terror, or the U.S. would not interfere in Israeli military actions against the Palestinian Authority, the ultimatum said, according to the paper.

Ron Schlicher, U.S. consul general in Jerusalem, reportedly delivered the harsh warning to Arafat, making clear that it was the Palestinian leader's "last chance to act," Yediot Aharonot said. The Americans reportedly demand that Arafat immediately arrest dozens of suspected terrorists, outlaw and act against terrorist organizations and begin collecting illegal weapons.

The harsh warnings to the Palestinians were part of a major policy shift in the American position, media analysts noted. Instead of criticizing the scope of Israel's military responses to the weekend's suicide bombings, as the Americans had done after previous IDF retaliatory strikes, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell described the actions as justified.

"Israel, at this moment, is recovering from a terrible blow inflicted on her last Saturday night by acts of terror," Powell said. "Prime Minister Sharon, as the elected prime minister, freely elected prime minister of a democratic nation, is responding in a way that he believes is appropriate to defend his people and to defend his country."

On Monday, State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker quoted Powell as saying, "Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must act immediately to bring violence and terrorism to an end through immediate, comprehensive, and sustained action by the Palestinian Authority against both the individuals responsible and the infrastructure of the groups that support them."

President George W. Bush also gave unconditional support for Israel on Tuesday, saying, "I have a dream -- I can't think of anything better than to have a dream of peace for Israel." By contrast, Bush did not repeat his vision of a Palestinian state and called on Arafat to "respond forcefully to rout out those who killed."

Bush also spoke in favor of the Israeli government's refusal to negotiate under fire. "There is no way that Israel can negotiate a peace process so long as its country is being terrorized," he said in an interview with Barbara Walters.

Zinni reportedly put meetings with Palestinians on hold
Army Radio reported Tuesday that American envoy Anthony Zinni had put all his meetings with Palestinian officials on hold until the Palestinian Authority demonstrated that it was making a diligent effort to combat terrorism. Zinni had been scheduled to meet with Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Abu Ala on Sunday, but instead lower-ranking American officials showed up at the meeting.

But U.S. Embassy spokesman Paul Patin denied reports that Zinni had canceled meetings with the Palestinians because of the suicide bomb attacks. Patin said Zinni "is still engaged with everyone."

Even so, ynet reported that Zinni had not scheduled any new meetings with Israeli representatives either, as his work plan was no longer relevant due to recent events. American officials insisted that Zinni would remain in the region and continue to work towards achieving a cease-fire. A State Department spokesperson said that Zinni needs "time and cooperation from both sides."

Zinni was scheduled to meet with Arafat on Wednesday, Ha'aretz reported. Zinni had more reason to insist on Palestinian actions against suspected terrorists Wednesday morning when he reportedly heard the explosion of a suicide bombing not far from Jerusalem's King David Hotel where he was staying. Six Israelis were lightly injured in the blast when a huge explosive device went off, apparently prematurely, killing the as-yet unidentified bomber and causing extensive property damage.

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