WASHINGTON?The Bush administration condemned the assassination Wednesday of an Israeli cabinet minister and called on Yasser Arafat to find and prosecute those responsible.

The administration also renewed a warning that the United States reserves the option of using force against supporters of terrorism.

Arafat?s Palestinian Authority ?must immediately find and bring to justice those who committed this murder, as well as those who would do harm to efforts to restore an atmosphere of calm and security for Israelis and Palestinians,? White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting of Tourism Minister Rehavam Keevi, 75, in Jerusalem. It was the first assassination of an Israeli cabinet minister.