White House reviews options after latest bombing in Israel

March 4, 1996
Web posted at: 9:15 p.m. EST (0215 GMT)

From Correspondent Wolf Blitzer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton is vowing to support Israel in its struggle to defeat terrorism in the wake of the latest deadly bomb attack in that country.

The president was aboard Air Force One on his way to Michigan when he was informed of Monday's bombing. At his first stop, he expressed outrage and stressed his support. (121K AIFF sound or 121K WAV sound)

Later, he said that Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat still wants peace, but must do more to uproot terrorist cells.

"He will have to do everything he can up to the limits of whatever capacities they have, and the rest of us will have to do our part as well," Clinton said. (157K AIFF sound or 157K WAV sound)

Clinton telephoned Israel Prime Minister Shimon Peres to express his condolences. He has also written to Arab leaders -- including Arafat -- asking that they do more to combat terrorism. But experts warn of leaning too hard on the Palestinian leader.

"Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority are in a very fragile and difficult situation and putting more pressure on them is going to backfire," said Simona Sharoni of American University.

But still, Senate Majority Leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole said that Congress should take a hard look at U.S. aid to the Palestinians.

U.S. officials say that Clinton is considering several steps to assist Israel in combating terrorism -- including a greater sharing of intelligence. There has been extensive cooperation over the years, but the Israelis say the U.S. can do more -- especially by making information available more quickly. U.S. officials say they want to help.

"We'll look to do and look to see what it is we can do to be helpful in that regard," said Dennis Ross, the State Department's Mideast Coordinator. (90K AIFF sound or 90K WAV sound)

Secretary of State Warren Christopher returned early from a trip to Latin America to meet with Clinton's other top advisers to discuss options for the President. White House officials say he will want to review those options quickly before taking action.

Israeli-Syrian negotiations have been suspended -- but Clinton said the terrorists must not be allowed to destroy peace. For now, though, that process is off track. The question is, for how long?

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