Meeting publicly with Sec. of State Colin Powell after his return from the Mideast, U.S. President George W. Bush praised Israeli PM Ariel Sharon for keeping his word regarding the Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian towns and cities and expressed "understanding" for Israel's siege on the Ramallah headquarters of Palestinian Yasser Arafat. The U.S. has threatened to veto a U.N. call for a "robust" armed force to be sent to the region.

In contrast to statements by Powell in the region, Bush said Thrusday that Sharon is keeping his promise to withdraw Israeli troops from Palestinian cities. Powell had said that talk of a ceasefire was irrelevant so long as Israel continued its military operation in the West Bank.

Bush applied additional pressure on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to crack down on terrorism. "Mr. Arafat did condemn terrorism, and now we will hold him to account" and demand that he take action against terrorism, Bush said. Joined by Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, the president rejected criticism that Powell's mission had been a failure. "The secretary of state laid out the framework and path to achieve peace... We will continue to do that," Bush said.

The president lauded Sharon as "a man of peace. I'm confident he wants Israel to be able to exist at peace with its neighbor." Bush said that Sharon kept his word. "He gave me a timetable, and he met the timetable." Bush also expressed understanding for Israel's continuing troop presence in Bethlehem and Ramallah, where the suspects in the assassination of former tourism minister Rechavam Ze'evi remain sheltered in Arafat's besieged compound with. Referring to the "Zeevi 5," Bush said that "these people are accused of killing a cabinet official of the Israel government. I can understand why the prime minister wants them brought to justice," he said. "They should be brought to justice if they killed a man in cold blood."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the Security Council on Thursday to authorize a "robust" international force in Palestinian territory to halt violence in the area. Aaron Jacob, Israel's deputy UN ambassador, immediately rejected the call, and White House spokesman Ari Fleischer dismissed the resolution, saying "the president thinks the purpose of America's military is to fight and win wars."

An Arab-sponsored resolution calls for a "third party" presence in Palestinian territory, demands immediate Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian cities, and demands an end to Israel's siege of Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It also seeks a UN investigation into alleged Israeli "massacres" and destruction of the Jenin refugee camp.

A British resolution would eliminate most of the demands except for a UN investigation of events in Jenin and calls for Israel to honor previous council resolutions. But the American Ambassador to the UN, John Negroponte, said: "We think the council has done enough" although there are reports that the United States is reviewing the British draft resolution.

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