JERUSALEM Ñ Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told President George Bush he does not plan to topple the regime of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Israeli officials said Sharon relayed this message during a two-hour meeting on Sunday, Middle East Newsline reported. Sharon, however, suggested retaliation for the wave of Palestinian suicide bombings in the Jewish state.

"The Israeli blow will be harsh but it will not lead to total war," an official said.

U.S. officials said Bush did not urge Sharon to demonstrate restraint. They said they did not raise the prospect of Arafat being exiled from the Palestinian territories.

"We always say to both sides, you better think about the consequences of what happens the next day or the day after," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said. "Will your actions make things better; will your actions make things worse? But we are not about to tell Mr. Sharon what he should do as a freely elected leader of a democratic nation."

On Sunday, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus, killing 15 passengers in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. It was the second suicide bombing attack in Israel in less than a day. The Islamic opposition group Hamas claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings on Saturday and Sunday.

Israeli police were so stretched for manpower that commanders were appealing on public radio for volunteers to help maintain order in Haifa after Sunday's attack. Another 40 people were injured in the bombing. Officials said Sharon -- who has returned from his U.S. visit Ñ will discuss the military campaign against the PA during an emergency Cabinet meeting on Monday evening. They said the military has presented a plan for a widescale offensive against Arafat's regime that includes attacks on all cities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and the destruction of the Palestinian insurgency infrastructure.

On late Sunday, Israeli troops returned to the West Bank city of Jenin. Israeli military sources said troops killed four Palestinian insurgents in a shootout near a military position.

But Sharon, the officials said, does not plan to approve any step that would endanger Arafat's regime. The officials said Sharon intends to allow Arafat to implement a state of emergency approved on Sunday. Sharon met with military chiefs on Monday afternoon in preparation for the Cabinet meeting.

Over the weekend, PA security forces arrested about 100 Hamas and Jihad members in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Those arrested included Jihad leader Mohammed Al Hindi in Gaza City and Hamas's Ismail Abu Shanab.

Palestinian television announced a ban on unauthorized demonstrations and the display of unlicensed weapons. The television said the PA would also ban incitement for attacks on Israel in both schools and mosques.

The announcement came amid heavy U.S. and European pressure on Arafat. Arafat received telephoned appeals from several Western foreign ministers who urged him to crack down on Palestinian insurgents.

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