The limits of loyalty

CREDIBILITY AND authority. Those are two concepts at the core of President Bush's foreign policy, as he tries to impress on terrorists and American allies alike that the United States is not to be messed with.

But the president's tough talk proved hollow last weekend, as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon blatantly defied Bush's demands for an end to Israel's offensive into Palestinian cities and refugee camps.

Sharon's defiance was especially brazen because it directly violated the terms of two recent U.N. Security Council resolutions, plus a similar council statement Sunday night, all of which demanded Israel's immediate withdrawal.

Israel announced yesterday that its troops were preparing to pull back from two West Bank cities, Qalqiliya and Tulkarem. But its troops, tanks and air force surged forward elsewhere, and Sharon emphasized that the operations will continue.