Sharon Cancels Florida Trip

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has canceled a trip to Florida in September that had been criticized in the United States because he would have met Gov. Jeb Bush in the midst of a state re-election race.

Sharon's office said Friday that the visit was postponed "due to the prime minister's commitments in Israel." It had been scheduled to begin on Sept. 9.

Israeli radio stations said the cancellation was due to criticism of Sharon's plan to meet Republican Gov. Bush, brother of President Bush, a day before Florida Democrats choose a candidate to run against him in the U.S. state's November gubernatorial election.

Sharon's scheduled appearance with the governor had raised the hackles of Democratic Party officials, who suggested President Bush helped engineer the visit to boost his brother's re-election campaign.

Jewish voters traditionally have leaned toward the Democratic Party. Miami is home to the nation's third-largest Jewish population, behind New York and Los Angeles.

Sharon has used a series of White House visits since his election in February 2001 to lobby for support for his efforts to combat a 22-month-old Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.

But the U.S. trip that was set for September had not included Washington on the itinerary.