Bush condemns suicide bombings

President George W Bush today condemned suicide bomber attacks in Israel ahead of an emergency meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Secretary of State Colin Powell suggested the attacks were meant to undermine Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

‘‘Not only was this a terrible attack against innocent Israelis, a terrible act of terror, it was also an attack against him, it was an attack against his authority, it was an attack against Palestinian leadership, and it was an attack that he could not overlook,’’ Powell said.

The president telephoned Sharon, who was in New York City at the time, to express his condolences and brought forward their White House meeting from Monday so Sharon could return quickly to Israel.

Sharon had planned to spend five days in the United States.

Their meeting was closed to the news media, but Bush was expected to address reporters upon his return to the White House.

‘‘Now more than ever, Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must demonstrate through their actions, and not merely their words, their commitment to fight terror,’’ Bush said in a statement issued from the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland.

He called on Arafat and the Palestinian Authority to ‘‘immediately find and arrest’’ those responsible and said Arafat must act ‘‘swiftly and decisively’’ against the organisations that support the terrorists.

Arafat came under criticism from Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for his leadership.

‘‘He is not a particularly strong leader,’’ Rumsfeld said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press programme.

‘‘I don’t know that he has good control over the Palestinian situation. He has not ever delivered anything for the Palestinian people ... His record is not particularly impressive.’’

The Palestinian militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for all of the attacks.

Powell and a special U.S. envoy in the Mideast quickly relayed Bush’s message of condemnation directly to Arafat.

‘‘I have spoken with Chairman Arafat and have made absolutely clear that these despicable and cowardly actions must be brought to an end through immediate, comprehensive and sustained action by the Palestinian Authority by both the individuals responsible and the infrastructure of the groups that support them,’’ Powell said.

Arafat called an emergency meeting of his leadership to take place later today. An aide said the meeting was to ‘‘take a very serious and urgent decision,’’ but he did not elaborate.

US envoy Anthony Zinni said in a statement in Jerusalem that he had spoken to Arafat and ‘‘made absolutely clear that those responsible for planning and carrying out these attacks must be found and brought to justice’’.

The latest attacks came at a time when Zinni is trying to secure a ceasefire. However, since Zinni’s arrival on Monday, there has been an upsurge in violence.