Bush's Support for Israel Falters
By BARRY SCHWEID
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) -
President Bush's unflagging support for Israel is in a sudden downward spiral after the White House sharply criticized Israel's military operations in Gaza and the United States allowed the U.N. Security Council to condemn the Jewish state.
It was an unusual double setback, prompted by Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes and an attack on Palestinian demonstrators Wednesday in which at least eight people, mostly children and teenagers, were killed.
Israel informed the Bush administration it had not planned to harm the demonstrators in Gaza. At first, Bush declined to pass judgment, saying he wanted to review Israel's explanation.
But in a sudden turnabout, Secretary of State Colin Powell lashed out at Israel, the White House issued a statement criticizing Israel on humanitarian grounds and the United States dropped plans to veto - or at least weaken - an Arab resolution at the U.N. condemning Israel for the housing demolitions and the attack on Palestinian demonstrators.
By abstaining, as it almost never does when Israel is under assault in the Security Council, the Bush administration permitted the resolution to pass, 14-0.
The U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., James Cunningham, said, "While we believe that Israel has the right to act to defend itself and its citizens, we do not see that the operations in Gaza in the last few days serve the purposes of peace and security." ....
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