U.S. SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI TERROR RESPONSE TEPID

State Dept. Gives Mixed Message to Israel After Terror Attack - Barry Schweid
While affirming an Israeli right to self-defense, the State Department on Monday chided Israel for imposing travel restrictions on West Bank Palestinians after Palestinian gunmen killed three Israelis and wounded five in drive-by attacks. In a message delivered privately by Lt. Gen. William Ward, the U.S. security envoy in the region, the State Department said it continued to ask the Israeli government "to take steps to ease the daily plight of the Palestinian people." Palestinian fighters, convinced their attacks succeeded in driving Israel to relinquish Gaza to the Palestinians last month, now appear to be shifting that strategy to the West Bank, according to Israeli intelligence. (AP/Washington Post)

IN RELATED NEWS, ISRAEL CRITICIZED THE U.S. FOR OVER-REACTING TO THE 9/11 ATTACKS BY PASSING THE PATRIOT ACT, AND SEARCHING AIRLINE AND SUBWAY PASSENGERS MORE THOROUGHLY....NOT.