Sharon's first stop as Israel's prime minister is Washington

JERUSALEM — Ariel Sharon has become Israel's new prime minister and plunged into preparations to meet U.S. President George Bush.

Sharon will meet Bush and senior administration officials during his first tour of the United States later this month. The meeting is planned for March 20. Sharon will also meet American Jewish leaders and address a conference by pro-Israel lobbyists.

Sharon's coalition was endorsed by the Knesset on late Wednesday in a 72-21 vote. Parliamentary factions in the new coalition are Sharon's Likud Party, Labor Party, Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu-National Union, United Torah Judaism, Yisrael Ba'aliya, Am Ehad, and The New Way.

In his first speech as prime minister, Sharon offered to renew peace negotiations with the Palestinians after an end to the mini-war. "We are willing to examine different ideas for advancing peace and for relieving the distress of the Palestinian people," Sharon said. But this cannot be done under terror and violence."

Sharon enters office amid an alert of Palestinian attacks in major Israeli cities. Officials said that information has been received of specific plots to attack the northern city of Haifa.

Thousands of police patrolled major Israeli cities on the eve of the Jewish festival of Purim. Two major Israeli suburbs of Tel Aviv — Holon and Ramat Hasharon -- cancelled Purim parades out of fear of terrorist attacks.

The Israeli military has concluded that the Palestinian Authority will escalate attacks on Israel ahead of the Arab League summit in Amman on March 27. The goal of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, military sources said, is to prompt a United Nations decision to deploy peacekeepers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as to obtain Arab and Islamic funding for the regime.

Arafat, the sources said, wants to again draw Israeli Arabs in any Palestinian escalation. In October, 13 Israeli Arabs were killed in clashes with police during violent demonstrations ini support of the Palestinians.