JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is disappointed with the refusal of US President George W. Bush to put pressure on Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to crush armed groups, aides said on Tuesday.
"The Palestinians came out feeling no pressure to fight terror and that they don't have to take immediate action," Sharon told US congressmen in Jerusalem on Monday, in comments relayed to AFP by a member of his office.
The Israeli government was initially more circumspect over last Thursday's summit between Abbas and the US president -- the first time that Bush hosted a Palestinian leader at the White House.
"Mr Bush wants to be conciliatory towards Mr Abbas in public to show that he has turned over a new leaf after Arafat's death and the Palestinians are taking advantage by putting off dismantling terrorist organisations," an aide to Sharon told AFP.
At the time, Bush told Abbas "the United States and the international community applaud your rejection of terrorism. All who engage in terror are the enemies of a Palestinian state, and must be held to account."
Israel has criticised Abbas for not dismantling armed groups fighting the Jewish state's near 40-year-long occupation of Palestinian land, despite a de facto truce engineered by Abbas which has been largely observed by militants since January.
"The Palestinians understood that there is no serious pressure now to act against terror and they can act slowly and carry out reforms," Sharon was quoted by Haaretz newspaper as telling the congressmen.
"They also understand that they can proceed with the understandings and agreements (with armed groups) and not fight them. The result is an increase of terror," the premier was reported as adding.
Israel's outgoing chief of staff General Moshe Yaalon similarly criticised Abbas for not doing enough to prevent attacks.
"He dithers too much, he is not firm and we have seen no serious progress," he was quoted as saying by the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat. "Terrorist groups such as Hamas are taking advantage of the situation to regroup."
A recent spike in militant attacks in the Gaza Strip and two Israeli retaliatory aerial strikes in two weeks has shaken the fragile ceasefire.
The violence has seen some Israeli military officers call for the government to delay plans to withdraw all settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip in a 10-week process beginning in mid-August.
Although Sharon reportedly told the congressmen that he had no complaints of Bush per se, he objected to what he deemed negative repercussions on the pullout, in comments published by Haaretz.
"Questions are being asked -- what happened to Bush's promises? -- and people say the whole disengagement plan is a bluff. I need calm to carry out the disengagement and this is causing me difficulties," Sharon said.
To appease settlers and the right-wing furious at the impending withdrawal from Gaza, Sharon has claimed Israel will then cement its grip on settlements in the West Bank with US support.
But last Thursday, Bush called on Israel to halt settlement activity in the West Bank and dismantle illegal outposts.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has said Abbas and Sharon would meet "in a very short time" in order "to coordinate" disengagement.
In comments published Tuesday, Egypt's ambassador to Israel said his country could not be expected to prevent militant attacks after the pullout.
"Don't expect Egypt to be your policeman in Gaza," Mohammed Asim Ibrahim was quoted as saying in an interview with the right-wing Jerusalem Post newspaper.
"Egypt will not play this role. This is basically an Israeli problem and an Israeli question (which) you have to solve yourselves," he added.

05/31/2005 13:44 GMT