NEW YORK—Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert began a U.S. visit Sunday saying he considered a new emergency Palestinian government shorn of Islamist Hamas a partner for peace negotiations.
But it was a rocket attack from Lebanon on northern Israel by what Olmert said was apparently "a small Palestinian movement" that dominated the opening hours of his three-day trip.
"It's a very disturbing day," Olmert told reporters at a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the New York home of Israel's U.N. ambassador.
In his remarks, Olmert pointedly stopped short of threatening any Israeli military response, saying the rocket attack on the town of Kiryat Shmona "re-emphasizes the role of UNIFIL and Lebanon's army in southern Lebanon."
Both UNIFIL–the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon–and the Lebanese army widened their deployment to keep the peace along the Israeli frontier after last year's war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas.
"Lebanon has been very quiet for the last nine months and hopefully will continue to be so," Olmert said.
Earlier, en route to the United States, Olmert said he saw "an opportunity that has not existed for a long time" now that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had dissolved his unity government with Hamas following the Islamists' rout of Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip.
"A government that is not a Hamas government is a partner," he told reporters on his plane, referring to the cabinet of political independents Abbas has formed.
Ban, speaking to reporters at Israeli Ambassador Danny Gillerman's home, said, "I call on all parties to exercise restraint."
He said the United Nations has "broad humanitarian concerns" in Gaza that "we need to overcome with wisdom."
Washington Meeting
An Olmert aide said the prime minister would explore with President Bush Tuesday in Washington how to "empower the moderates" among the Palestinians.
Another senior Israeli official spoke of swift "gestures," including the release to Abbas of a portion of the $700 million in Palestinian tax revenues Israel has been withholding.
But an economic and diplomatic embargo of the Hamas administration in Gaza would remain in place and be tightened in some areas, the official said. Other officials stressed Israel would not block humanitarian aid to the territory.
Pouring money into the occupied West Bank, where Fatah holds sway, would remove an obstacle delaying another round of talks between Abbas and Olmert on aspects of Palestinian statehood–a prospect dimmed by Hamas' victory. They last met in April.
Abbas seeks peace with Israel. Hamas has rejected Western demands to recognize the Jewish state and renounce violence.
Before Olmert's meeting with Ban, one aide said they would hold a preliminary discussion on prospects for sending international forces to Gaza to cut off arms smuggling to Hamas and other militants via tunnels under Egypt's border.
But another aide to the prime minister said chances were slim such a force could be deployed any time soon since both Egypt and Hamas opposed the idea.
