Powell renews call for Israeli pullback, Palestinian arrest of terrorists

By BARRY SCHWEID
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Colin Powell renewed a call for Israel to withdraw its forces immediately from Palestinian villages on the West Bank and for Yasser Arafat to arrest more terrorists.

Neither side seemed to be heeding the Bush administration's advice. The assassins of an Israeli Cabinet minister may still be at large and Israeli forces battled their way into a West Bank village Wednesday.

At least six Palestinians were killed. Israeli forces arrested 10 Palestinians, two of them suspected in the Oct. 17 murder of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi.

Powell, at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, said Arafat should make more arrests. And indirectly criticizing what Israelis call a "revolving door" system of justice, Powell said: "The perpetrators should be placed in solid custody, not light house arrest."

At the same time, Powell said Israel should immediately withdraw because its presence in Arab villages was contributing to a cycle of violence.

On Tuesday, President Bush said he hoped Israel would pull out as quickly as possible. The State Department has taken a tougher line, calling for an immediate withdrawal from territory Israel had put under control of the Palestinian Authority.

Reporting on a meeting he had with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres of Israel at the White House, the president said, "I did express our concern about troops in Palestinian territory and I would hope the Israelis would move their troops as quickly as possible."

He also urged Arafat to arrest the interior minister's assassins "and others who would harm Israeli civilians."

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