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US condemns Israeli retaliatory tactics after bomb blast
( 2001-08-11 11:25 ) (7 )

The United States on Friday condemned Israel's seizure of the unofficial PLO headquarters in Jerusalem and a West Bank raid as a "serious political escalation" of the conflict with the Palestinians.

Urging both sides to refrain from "incitement and provocations," the State Department singled out Israel's revenge tactics after a suicide bombing in Jerusalem Thursday killed 15 people and the militant Palestinian bomber.

"We are concerned about the Israeli actions against Orient House and the Palestinian town of Abu Dis," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

"These actions represent a serious political escalation, undermine faith and confidence in a negotiated settlement of this conflict and increase the risk of further deterioration of the political situation.

"Orient House has long symbolised the importance of political dialogue and reconciliation between Israelis and the Palestinians," Boucher said.

"It is vital that both parties remain committed to these objectives and avoid actions which threaten fundamental belief in a negotiated settlement.

"We finally urge the Israelis and the Palestinian authority to move quickly to implement (the) Tenet and Mitchell (plan) and move toward a resumption of negotiations."

The reference was to the Mitchell plan, a US-backed roadmap out of crisis and the ceasefire negotiated in June by CIA chief George Tenet.

Later Friday, a senior State Department official said that Secretary of State Colin Powell had spoken on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, to state US criticism to the occupation of Orient House and the raid on Abu Dis.

It was the second telephone call between Powell and Sharon in two days.

Israeli forces took over the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's unofficial east Jerusalem headquarters, Orient House, replacing the Palestinian flag with the Israeli flag on Friday.

Powell on Thursday called Sharon to express condolences for the suicide bomb in downtown Jerusalem, and to urge restraint.

Orient House has long been a symbol of Palestinian aspirations to enshrine Jerusalem as the capital of a future state -- and its seizure is seen as a major political blow.

In another operation, Israeli police occupied a Palestinian Authority and security office in Abu Dis on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said.

The State Department condemnation made no mention of other reprisals conducted by the Israelis.

In one attack, an Israeli F-16 fighter plane pounded Ramallah police headquarters -- which had been evacuated in anticipation of the strikes.

Israeli tanks also moved almost 1 kilometre into Palestinian territory in the Gaza Strip, shelling and destroying a Palestinian security position, Palestinian officials said.

The US criticism came a day after President George W. Bush heavily criticised the suicide bombing in a crowded Jerusalem pizza restaurant and Powell pleaded for "restraint."

It also followed a meeting between Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Danny Ayalon, a foreign policy adviser to Sharon.

Ayalon defended the Israeli tactics, contrasting the lack of deaths in the actions with the 15 Israeli civilians killed in Thursday's blast.

"We emphasised the fact that there is no real cycle of violence now in the Middle East, there is only an orchestrated campaign of terror, and prevention steps that we take are self defense that we take only when necessary."

Speaking to reporters at the State Department, he characterised the Israeli moves as "spoiling raids" vital to forestalling future terrorist attacks.

"Our response was very moderate, given the enormous tragedy, what we have done both in the Orient House and Abu Dis is really working by the book, what we have done has set the record straight, with the encroachment of the Palestinians in both these places."

A senior State Department official said on condition of anonymity that Armitage had made the US views on Orient House clear to Ayalon, but declined to say if he had asked Israel to withdraw from the building.