In a written statement, Mr. Fleischer  said U.S. ties with Israel are 'rock
                               solid,' as is the U.S. commitment to  Israel's security.

                               The statement praises Prime  Minister Barak for his friendship to
                               the United States and his commitment to peace. Mr. Bush is
                               expected to call the outgoing Israeli  leader on Wednesday.

                               The president has spoken with Mr.  Barak once already in one of the two
                               dozen 'get-acquainted' phone calls   he has made to world leaders since
                               coming to office January 20. Some of those calls were to Arab leaders,
                               including Egyptian President Hosni  Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah
                               and Saudi King Fahd.

                               Mr. Bush has yet to call Palestinian  Authority President Yasser Arafat,
                               although Secretary of State Powell  has spoken with him.

                               Although Mr. Bush believes the  United States has a role to play in
                               the search for peace in the region, he  also has signaled he would not
                               follow the hands-on approach to the  Middle East peace process of his
                               predecessor, President Clinton. Mr. Clinton personally took part in
                               negotiations and spent days trying to bridge gaps in the last weeks of his
                               administration.

                               During his election campaign last  year, Mr. Bush said he believed only
                               the parties could resolve their differences and on their own
                               timetable.

                               Meanwhile, at the  State Department
                               earlier Tuesday, just  hours before the
                               polls closed in Israel, Secretary Colin
                               Powell appealed for  calm in the region.
                               "This is a time to be  patient, to see what the Israeli
                               people say, give the winner an opportunity to decide what kind of
                               government will be formed as 0a  result of this, and to encourage all
                               the leaders and all the people of the   region to refrain from any acts that
                               would lead to violence," he said.

                               Mr. Powell plans to travel to the  region at the end of the month to  gage what impact the election of
                               hardline Likud leader Sharon will have on the search for Middle East  peace.

                               Mr. Sharon is not trusted in the Arab  world because of his role in the
                               Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.   Although he says he wants to
                               negotiate with the Palestinians, the  ideas he has proposed fall far short of what Mr. Barak had offered and
                               what would meet Palestinian  aspirations.

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