[See photo caption below]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli President Moshe Katzav said on Thursday he was ``very, very satisfied'' with U.S. involvement in the Middle East, while Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) urged Washington to do more to stop eight months of violence.

After an Oval Office meeting with President Bush (news - web sites), Katzav, whose post is mainly ceremonial, also said he told the U.S. leader he thought Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) had the power to end the bloodshed.

``I believe that Yasser Arafat has the ability to stop the violence, to stop the terrorism,'' Katzav told reporters as he left the White House. ``I believe that Yasser Arafat controls the situation and I believe that my expression in this matter didn't surprise the president.''

Bush and Katzav met after Sharon spoke to Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) and urged the Americans to increase pressure on Arafat to stop eight months of violence.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said Bush told Katzav the United States wanted to facilitate Middle East peace.

``The president reaffirmed America's support for Israel,'' Fleischer said. ``The president again discussed the United States' engagement to be a facilitator for peace in the region. That was the tenor of the conversation.''

The Bush administration, which has made it clear that it will not take up former President Bill Clinton's role as an active mediator in the Middle East, has said it would not force a deal but would help ``facilitate'' peace.

After meeting Bush, Katzav told reporters he was satisfied with U.S. involvement in the Middle East.

KATZAV ALSO MET POWELL

``I found that the American administration (is) very engaged with the situation in the Middle East,'' said Katzav, who also met Powell on Thursday and will have dinner with Bush. ``I came out from this conversation indeed very, very satisfied.''

Several Arab leaders, some of whom have met Bush since he took office on Jan. 20, have urged the United States to do more to stop the bloodshed that has killed more than 550 people -- mostly Palestinians -- since September.

A source close to the Israeli government said from Jerusalem that Sharon told Powell on the telephone that recent Palestinian attacks on Israelis were ``intolerable'' and urged Washington to put pressure on Arafat to stop the violence.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Powell had separate phone conversations with Sharon and Arafat late on Wednesday, or early on Thursday in the Middle East.

He said in both phone calls Powell expressed concern about recent violence and urged Arafat to ``make a 100 percent effort to calm the situation'' and implement the Mitchell committee's call for an immediate, unconditional cessation of violence.

He also urged Sharon to ``continue his policy of restraint and de-escalation'' and in both calls urged the leaders to restore cooperation, Boucher said.

William Burns, Bush's new special assistant on the Middle East, is in the region speaking to various leaders about how to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Burns is trying to find ways to implement recommendations of an international committee led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell that investigated the past eight months of violence.

Sharon said on Wednesday he would stick to a limited unilateral cease-fire which Israel announced last week, although Palestinians killed three Jewish settlers in attacks on Tuesday. Israeli gunmen shot to death a Palestinian in the West Bank the same day.

The Palestinians, who began an uprising against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites) after peace talks stalled, blame the almost daily violence on Israel. The Palestinians say the limited Israeli cease-fire is a propaganda ploy, and accuse Israelis of continuing to launch attacks.
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PHOTO CAPTION

President Bush meets with Israel President Moshe Katzav in the Oval Office of the White House, May 31, 2001. Bush met Israeli President Moshe Katzav on May 31, 2001 and reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel and Washington's willingness to be a ``facilitator for peace'' in the Middle East. (Larry Downing/Reuters)
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