White House Criticizes Israeli Attack on Gaza Apartment Building

(White House Report, 23 July) (910)





WHITE HOUSE CRITICIZES ISRAELI ATTACK ON GAZA APARTMENT BUILDING





President Bush sees "as heavy-handed" an Israeli warplane's missile


attack on a Gaza City apartment building that killed a leader of Hamas


who was at the top of Israel's most-wanted list and at least 14 other


Palestinians, including nine children.





"The President views this as a heavy-handed action that is not


consistent with dedication to peace in the Middle East," White House


Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters July 23.





This message, he said, was conveyed to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's


office this morning through the U.S. Embassy in Israel.





The message, Fleischer said, included the President's regret about the


loss of innocent lives, including those of the children.





Fleischer rejected comparisons between the Israeli missile strike and


American attacks in Afghanistan that have killed civilians.





In times of war, there are going to be losses of innocents, but in


this case, what happened in Gaza "was a deliberate attack on the site,


knowing that innocents would be lost in the consequences of the


attack," said Fleischer.





Bush "has been and will continue to be a leading defender of Israel


around the world and will speak out about Israel's right to self


defense," Fleischer said, but added: "This is an instance in which the


United States and Israel do not see eye to eye."





SITUATION BETWEEN INDIA-PAKISTAN IMPROVED, FLEISCHER SAYS





Discussing the situation between India and Pakistan, Fleischer said


"as a result of a lot of intervention and diplomacy by the President,


by the State Department, by Secretary Powell, the travels to the


region, that situation has been managed to the point now where the


situation is much more defused, the risk of violence is defused. And


that's going to be an ongoing part of America's diplomacy in the


region. It's an area of the world the United States is going to


continue to actively work," Fleischer said.





Asked what message Secretary Powell will be taking about the policies


of Pakistan's government on his upcoming trip to the region, Fleischer


said that Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf "has taken strong


action in the war against terror. And that includes against al Qaeda


or the Taliban, as well as taking steps to diminish the cross-border


incursions into Kashmir. And the President is pleased with the actions


that President Musharraf has taken."





BUSH THANKS INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT FOR ITS HELP IN FIGHT AGAINST TERROR





President Bush thanked the government of Indonesia for its efforts to


combat extremism and terrorism at home, and to work with other leaders


in the region who are similarly committed to the fight against terror,


in a July 23 phone conversation with Indonesia's President


Sukarnoputri Megawati, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said.





The two leaders also "discussed strengthening cooperation between the


United States and Indonesia," and the upcoming trip to the region of


U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Fleischer said.





BUSH WANTS CONGRESS TO PASS TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY NOW





President Bush has called on the U.S. Congress to approve three main


areas of legislation before it adjourns for the summer recess,


Fleischer said.





"One is on trade promotion authority, which can, the President


believes, be resolved this week in a conference committee, so final


action can be taken and then a bill can be signed this August.





"The second issue is corporate corruption... And the President again


sees the House bill and the Senate bill, both of which are tough,


which can easily be brought together and presented to the President


for signature.





"The third issue in which the Congress has been moving forward at a


strong pace is legislation to create a Cabinet-level department of


homeland security. All three of those, the President is looking for


action this week. On trade promotion authority and on corporate


corruption, final action, sending a bill to the President. On homeland


security, House passage and then, next week, Senate passage," said


Fleischer.





The House of Representatives "is leaving at the end of this week and


won't be back until the end of September," and the Senate is scheduled


to leave a week from Friday, Fleischer pointed out.





When Congress returns, he said, it has "a very abbreviated session


this fall" before its members leave to campaign for reelection.





"So time is running out on this Congress, and there are three major


issues that are pending in the Congress where the President wants to


work with the Congress to help them complete action this week.





"The other items that are pending in Congress that they hope to come


back to when they return in September are a patients bill of rights,


which is still stuck in the House-Senate conference committee;


legislation to make America more energy-independent, which is still


stuck in the House-Senate conference committee; faith-based


legislation; welfare reform; a ban on cloning. The Senate has yet to


even pass a budget. And of course, they also have all 13 appropriation


bills to get through.





"So from a very practical point of view, if the Congress is not able


to get it done this week, it does endanger the possibility of getting


it done at all because the roads will be too crowded and clogged to


get anything to its final destination," Fleischer said.