Washington, June 14: In a sharp reversal of President George W Bush's criticism of Israel, the White House has said it did not oppose Tel Aviv's strike on Hamas militants in Palestinian territories. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said that the administration was not calling on Israel to stop its attacks on Hamas, nor did it see the strikes as a violation of the “roadmap" for peace.
"Once the terrorism goes down there won't be a need for Israel to respond to terror," he told reporters at Kennebunkport yesterday. "The issue is not Israel, the issue is not Prime Minister Abbas, the issue is not the Palestinian Authority. The issue is the terrorists, Hamas and others," he said.
Expressing sympathy for Israel after Hamas strikes against it, White House press secretary Ari Fliescher said, "No one can let the terrorists get away with the killing." "It (Israel) is in a very dangerous time because of the terrorist attacks on it," he said.
Speaking shortly before Israel launched fresh strikes on Palestinian militants, Fliescher said the current situation in the Middle East was "the darkest moment" for the region.
Bush, who has been vacationing at Kennebunkport in Maine, did not comment on the situation in the Middle East for the second consecutive day. Bureau Report