April 11, 2002	Thursday	Muharram 27, 1423

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WASHINGTON, April 10: This week’s shift in the United States position on the Middle East brought about by the Israeli aggression in the West Bank was again underlined on Wednesday, in remarks by the White House.

After days of arguing that Palestinian attacks had to end and a ceasefire arranged before political talks could proceed, the Bush administration has now recognized that the two cannot be separated.

This is a victory for the Palestinian argument and a defeat for Israel, which was insisting on a prior ceasefire and an undertaking by Yasser Arafat to halt suicide bombings and other attacks.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said at his briefing on Wednesday that the two aspects, a ceasefire and the start of political talks, were intertwined and made comm