WASHINGTON Ñ The Bush administration has aired its disagreement with Israel over the future of talks with the Palestinians.

The administration wants Israel to launch political talks with the Palestinian Authority despite the violence and shattered ceasefire of the Israeli-Palestinian war. This includes the implementation of a complete freeze on Israeli construction in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The U.S. goal disputes that of Israel, which wants a complete end to Palestinian attacks before political talks resume between the Jewish state and the PA. Israel urged the administration not to send U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Middle East, a tour that began on Wednesday.

President George Bush voiced his policy during a Tuesday meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in what diplomatic sources said was the first disagreement between the new administration and Sharon. Bush appeared uncomfortable as he discussed the policy before the meeting with Sharon.

"The prime minister has shown a lot of patience," Bush said. "But progress is being made. Is it as fast as we'd like? No, it's not. But the fundamental question my administration makes is: Are we making progress? Is peace closer today than it was yesterday? We believe the answer is yes, and therefore the secretary of state leaves tonight to try to advance the process."

For his part, Sharon pledged that Israel would not conduct negotiations with the Palestinians while the war continues. The prime minister cited Israeli casualties in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Bush and Sharon then held a two-hour meeting in which they disagreed on the implementation of a series of confidence-building measures recommended by a commission headed by former Sen. George Mitchell. A key recommendation by the commission is to end all Israeli construction in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Sharon was said to have opposed a complete suspension on construction. Bush and Sharon also disagreed on the start of a cooling-off period set by the Mitchell panel.

"Everyone knows that in our relations yes is yes and no is no, and what I say I mean and what I mean I say," Sharon said after the meeting. "That's very clear. That is the basis of our relations; therefore, it's very, very important, I would say, to say everything that had to be said."

Administration officials said Bush's call for the implementation of the Mitchell commission was intentional and meant to signal to Arab allies of Washington that the United States does not intend to follow Sharon's time table.

"We believe you've got to keep moving forward or the whole situation will fall apart on us," a senior U.S. administration official said. "We can't stay in the cease-fire-only arena indefinitely."

The future of settlement construction has also become a source of dispute within Sharon's national unity government. Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said he plans to dismantle 15 new unauthorized outposts erected by Jewish settlers over the last few weeks.

Officials said Bush also expressed his opposition to any Israeli military strike against the Palestinian Authority. They said Bush reiterated Israel's right to self-defense, but did not signal any approval of any Israeli plan that would result in a PA collapse.

At his meeting with Bush, Sharon presented his plan for a settlement with the Palestinians, Israeli officials said. The officials would not elaborate.

The Israeli-U.S. dispute comes as Powell arrives in Cairo on Wednesday. Powell will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss the implementation of the Mitchell plan.

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