TEL AVIV Ñ The government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has delayed a planned invasion of Palestinian
areas of the Gaza Strip after coming under heavy pressure from the Bush administration.
Sharon blamed what he termed leaks from the military for the delay in
the
planned attack on Islamic insurgency strongholds. The prime minister said
the leaks from the military of an attack had alerted Islamic insurgency
leaders,
who went into hiding.
But Israeli officials said Sharon came under pressure from the United
States, Middle East Newsline reported. The officials said President George Bush and senior aides urged
Sharon not to order a military offensive against Hamas and Islamic Jihad
targets in the Gaza Strip.
The chairman of parliament's powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, dismissed Sharon's assertion that leaks from the military led to
a cancellation of the Gaza operation. Chairman David Magen said political
considerations led to the postponement of the offensive.
U.S. officials were said to have agreed. The Israeli Maariv daily
reported on Sunday that U.S. officials had warned Sharon that a military
offensive against Gaza would endanger Washington's plans to marginalize
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
For its part, Hamas said it would continue suicide attacks in Israel.
Last week, Hamas claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed 15
Israelis in Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv.
Israel had mobilized thousands of reservists in an emergency call-up. On
Sunday, Israel's state-owned radio reported that reservists were being sent
home.
The postponement of the Israeli operation comes as the Palestinian
leadership appeared divided. Palestinian sources report sharp disputes
between Arafat and Cabinet ministers, the latter who demanded reform and
municipal and parliamentary elections.
