Israeli tanks roll into Jenin

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who holds talks on Friday and Saturday in the US with President George W. Bush, called for Washington to take the lead in seeking a rapid resolution of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

The White House said it was not clear what Israel’s aims were in carrying out the Ramallah raid, stressing that both sides needed to take ‘‘constructive steps’’ towards peacemaking.

‘‘You would have to check with the Israelis to ask them what the objective for the incursion was last night. I don’t know what the objective of the incursion was last night,’’ White House National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack said.

The Israeli military denied targeting the Palestinian leader, who often works through the night in his nearby office. Washington has warned Israel against harming or toppling Arafat.

Palestinian officials have said Israeli occupation in the West Bank and the Army’s encirclement of Palestinian cities — a measure Israel says is necessary to stop suicide bombings — breed hatred that leads to such attacks. Palestinian forces carried out the body of a comrade killed in the compound.

In an attack near Ramallah on Thursday, Palestinian gunmen killed a Jewish settler travelling in a car. Sharon said Israel was facing a ‘‘merciless campaign’’ conducted by Arafat aimed at breaking Israel’s resolve. ‘‘We will continue this battle in the ways we think are most suited and we will win,’’ he told an economic conference in Tel Aviv.

An opinion poll in the Maariv newspaper showed Israeli support for Sharon at 59 per cent. ‘‘It shows the secret of his success is not his policies but the public conception of his character,’’ columnist Chemi Shalev wrote. ‘‘He is a strong leader, and that is what is important, even if he is leading (Israel) nowhere.’’ (Reuters)