Washington ? President Bush said Thursday that Israel is keeping its promise to withdraw troops from Palestinian cities and turned up the pressure on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to crack down on terrorism.

“Mr. Arafat did condemn terrorism and now we will hold him into account” and demand that he take action against terrorists, Bush said.

The president assessed the crisis in the Middle East in a meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell, who returned hours earlier from a mission to the region. Joined by Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, the president shrugged off criticism that Powell’s mission had failed.

“One trip by the secretary of state will not prevent that from happening,” Bush said, stressing his efforts to stem violence. “But one trip by the secretary of state laid out the framework and path to achieve peace.”

“We will continue to do that,” Bush said.

The president praised Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as “a man of peace. I’m confident he wants Israel to be able to exist at peace with its neighbor.”

Two weeks after demanding that Israel withdraw its troops immediately, Bush said he was satisifed that Sharon was acting in good faith.

“History will show that they responded,” Bush said. “He gave me a timetable and he met the timetable.”

He said he understood why Israel was keeping troops in Bethlehem and in Ramallah. He noted that five suspects in the killing of an Israeli Cabinet minister are believed to be holed up in Arafat’s Ramallah headquarters.

“These people are accused of killing a Cabinet official of the Israel government. I can understand why the prime minister wants them brought to justice,” he said. “They should be brought to justice if they killed a man in cold blood.”