March 23 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said the U.S. may send a delegation to the Middle East next week to help restart peace negotiations following Israel's killing of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

The team will go ``if circumstances on the ground allow,'' Bush told reporters after a Cabinet meeting. Israeli security forces were on high alert after Hamas and other Islamic groups said they would take revenge for Israel's killing of Yassin.

At the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority's ambassador asked the Security Council to condemn Yassin's killing after the U.S. blocked approval of a written statement on his assassination.

``Is there nothing more crazy than this?'' Palestinian envoy Nasser al-Kidwa said during a council meeting open to all 191 UN members. ``Can't the Security Council adopt a position on this matter?''

The U.S. rejected a proposed statement that would have expressed ``strong opposition'' to the killing of Yassin because it didn't refer to the terrorism conducted by Hamas, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said.

``He was the leader of a terrorist organization that has proudly taken credit for indiscriminate attacks against civilians,'' Negroponte said. ``This Security Council should not and the U.S. will not support initiatives that ignore this reality.''

The U.K., Russia and the European Union condemned the attack in the Gaza Strip, and State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday the U.S. was ``deeply troubled'' by it. Hamas chose as its new leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, who has pushed for accelerating attacks on Israel and rules out compromises, according to the Associated Press.

`Defend Itself'

``Israel has a right to defend itself from terror,'' Bush said today after a Cabinet meeting at the White House. ``As she does so, I hope she keeps consequences in mind as to how to make sure we stay on the path to peace.''

Bush said he is trying to get the Israelis and Palestinians back to focusing on his outline for peace, which calls for a separate Palestinian state in three years. The plan requires that Israel pull back its settlements in Palestinian areas, and that Palestinians crack down on suicide bombings and other attacks on Israelis.

Terror Network

After yesterday's attack on Yassin, a statement purportedly from the al-Qaeda terrorist network said ``your real enemy is the tyrant of the century, America, and its allies,'' according to extracts published on Arabic-language Web sites.

Israel ``did the right thing'' in attacking Yassin, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, said in Washington.

``If he wanted to die in his sleep, he should have picked another career,'' DeLay said. ``Hamas is as much an enemy in this war on terror as al-Qaeda is. There can be no dialogue or compromise with evil. The only way we can win this war is to get the terrorists.''

Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman told the Security Council that Yassin was guilty of ordering more than 425 terrorist attacks that killed 377 Israelis and wounded 2,067 in the past three-and-one-half years.

`Mother Theresa'

``To characterize him as a spiritual leader is to attempt to characterize Osama bin Laden as a Mother Theresa,'' Gillerman said. ``He was an arch terrorist with international aims and international ties. He called for suicide attacks against Americans and British forces in Iraq.''

Envoys from Angola, Chile, China, Egypt France and Germany were among those who condemned Israel's action at the Security Council meeting.

``The practice of targeted removals by Israel violates international law and is therefore unacceptable,'' Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya said. ``Meeting violence with violence won't help. We are in favor of a prompt response by the Security Council.''

Al-Kidwa said that after the Security Council meeting he would ask the members to adopt a formal resolution condemning Israel's action. A U.S. veto, likely because the draft doesn't condemn Hamas and other terrorist groups, would lead Arab nations to seek approval of a condemnation by the General Assembly, where such statements can't be vetoed, al-Kidwa said.

The strike on Hamas came four days before the 25th anniversary of the final Camp David peace accord between Israel and Egypt. Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak plans to visit Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on April 12. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said negotiations were under way concerning a visit to the U.S. by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on April 1 or April 14.

Pursuing Terrorists

Bush also said the U.S. couldn't have prevent the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and will continue pursuing the terrorists. ``We have been chasing down al-Qaeda,'' he said. ``We will continue to pursue them as long as I'm president of the United States.''

In addition, Bush urged Congress to take steps to improve the economy, such as making his tax cuts permanent and passing limits on damages in lawsuits.

``Our economy'' is ``strong and it's getting stronger,'' Bush said. ``The job base is growing,'' and ``there is more work to do in order to make sure the economy continues to grow.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Holly Rosenkrantz in Washington at

Last Updated: March 23, 2004 20:00 EST