Bush Says Push for Peace Will Continue

President Bush expressed his furor Thursday at the Hebrew University bombing in Jerusalem that killed seven people, including five Americans, even as he confronted the constraints of fighting terror in the Middle East while advancing his plan to contain Iraq.

The Wednesday explosion left Bush under new pressure to respond to the death of Americans at the hands of terrorists, but with limited options. He reiterated his belief that Israel “must defend herself” but that all parties in the region “must keep the vision of peace in mind.”

“I’m just as angry as Israel is right now,” Bush said. “I’m furious that innocent life is lost. However, through my fury, even though I am mad, I still believe peace is possible.”

He cautioned that terrorism must not be allowed to “destroy the possibility for peace.”

The president spoke before beginning a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan. Seated side by side, they responded to reporters’ questions during a photo session.

The king, a frequent visitor to the Oval Office, is among the moderate Arab leaders urging the administration to quicken its efforts to help in the creation of a Palestinian state. They argue that the United States can expect no support in the Arab world for its campaign to remove President Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq unless it first makes real progress in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There was no sign that Bush and the king were closing their gap on Iraq.

“We’re looking at all options, the use of all tools” to change the regime in Baghdad, Bush said.

The king responded: “What I found from Day 1 with the president is he understands the bigger picture and that at the end of the day, peace and stability for the Middle East has been at the forefront of his mind.”

Abdullah, though a strong U.S. ally, also has been one of the most outspoken Arab leaders opposing military operation against Iraq, which his country borders.

He has called plans for an attack “somewhat ludicrous” and has said he would not let the U.S. military use bases in Jordan in a war against Baghdad.

Abdullah’s late father, King Hussein, although generally a reliable American partner, refused to join the coalition that fought Iraq in the Persian Gulf War in 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Jordan relies heavily on Iraqi oil.

After Thursday’s meeting with Abdullah, Bush visited with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who had been meeting with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.

Peres said the first step in the Middle East is ending Palestinian violence. A priority, he said, should be “a security force in the Palestinian territory that will be able to help deal with those who want to destroy the prospects for peace.”

In another rebuff to Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, with whom he has refused to meet, Bush said, “The security force must be designed to fight off terror, not designed to serve the whims and interests of ... one person.”

With Abdullah in one corner of the White House and Peres, barely an hour later, visiting in Rice’s office in the executive mansion, Bush directly confronted the political crosswinds that whip through the Middle East.

In the past, the president has vowed to respond to any attack on Americans. But the bombing at the Jerusalem university raises new problems, just as repeated suicide attacks have left Israel searching for appropriate targets.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said the United States had been in contact with Israel through its embassy “to develop leads about who was responsible for this attack.”

“The only place we can prevent the catastrophe from happening is at the birthplace, where suicide bombers are being trained, mobilized, and that is the reason why we enter the cities” that have been occupied by Israeli troops, Peres said to reporters after the meeting.

Defending U.S. efforts, Bush said, “We’re responding all across the globe to murders of Americans.”

He cited the U.S. military action in Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. The military operations were directed at dismantling the Al Qaeda terrorist network blamed for the hijackings. He also cited the military assistance the United States is providing the Philippines.

Bush also said that the United States is working with Israel and Arab allies to try to track down those responsible for the bombing at Hebrew University.

“I grieve for all people whose lives are taken by terrorist activities,” Bush said. “I’m particularly sad today because of American families who cry today and weep at the loss of a loved one, because there’s some fanatic who believes that killing innocent life is positive. It’s incredibly negative.”