By Ryan Jones
Sep 29, 2005
As Israel escalated its rhetoric, but little else in its effort to counter ongoing ?Palestinian? artillery attacks, Washington Wednesday reiterated its call for Jerusalem to conduct nothing more than a limited war on terror.
Earlier in the day, the IDF's chief of operations, Maj.-Gen. Yisrael Ziv, told Israel Radio the army would not hesitate to flatten the northern Gaza town of Bet Hanoun in a hail of artillery shells if the ?Palestinians? did not stop firing rockets from the strip.
Asked for the US government's reaction to Israel getting ?a little more active,? State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack repeated what he told reporters earlier in the week: Israel must act with restraint and consider the effects of its actions on American efforts to birth a Palestinian Arab state.
?We have always maintained that Israel has a right to defend itself, but we have urged the Israeli government to be mindful of the consequences of its actions on what all share as the ultimate goal - moving down the road towards two states,? McCormack said.
The spokesman said the Bush Administration wants to see the ?Palestinians? and Israelis ?work together to build on what we believe was a successful withdrawal in Gaza.?
Following Israel's ?disengagement? from Gaza, Palestinian Authority officials all the way up to ?president? Mahmoud Abbas publicly and repeatedly declared the Jews' departure a result of and victory for terrorist efforts against Israel.
The PA has been joined by the likes of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in broadcasting the message: ?Today Gaza, tomorrow the 'West Bank' and Jerusalem.?
Analysts and commentators have noted that building on the ?successful withdrawal in Gaza? is precisely what the ?Palestinians? see themselves doing by continuing to attack Israel.