Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon vetoed a meeting between his Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Sunday, snubbing world pressure to quell regional tensions as Washington pieces together its coalition against terrorism.
"Yasser Arafat has not passed the test of 48 hours of total calm that the prime minister set last Sunday as a condition for a Peres-Arafat meeting," a high-ranking Israeli official, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
But Sharon did not rule out a meeting in the days to come, the official said.
"The Israeli government has our address, they know where they can inform us," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said, explaining his side had not been officially informed of the cancellation.
Other officials said the meeting was still possible and that they were counting on international pressure to break the deadlock, following US pressure that forced both sides to declare a cease-fire last week.
The foreign ministers of Belgium, Britain, France, Norway and Austria were headed for the region, as Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said the European Union must sponsor any deal made with Israel.
Sharon's government "will not commit to any agreement," Abed Rabbo said.
Sharon insists that Arafat completely halts the violence for 48 hours before any talks with Peres can go ahead, saying that Israel refuses to negotiate under fire.
The right-wing prime minister made the veto decision Sunday in a cabinet meeting after talks with top security officials.
Israel admitted the level of violence had dropped off significantly since first Arafat and then the Israeli army announced a truce on Tuesday, amid US calls to calm regional tension to pave the way for Arab participation in its campaign against world terrorism.
But Israel insists it will not compromise the safety of its citizens, saying Arafat may be trying to score political points by dragging it into talks before the violence on the ground has halted.
"We cannot depend on miracles, that is why the 48 hours of calm must be observed," said Israeli minister without portfolio Zipi Livner.
She said five mortar bombs targeted a synagogue in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom in the Gaza Strip on Saturday night.
"This is organized and is something Chairman Arafat can prevent," she said. "The ball is in his court."
Arafat made no direct comment on the cancellation but accused Israel of "exploiting" the new international context to reoccupy autonomous Palestinian land in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli tanks made a brief incursion into Palestinian-controlled land in the Gaza Strip in response to the mortar attack.
Despite the drop in armed attacks since the cease-fire declarations, an Israeli woman was shot dead by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank on Thursday, while Israeli troops later shot dead a Palestinian after a Gaza Strip attack that left five soldiers wounded.
Livner said the Palestinians had briefly detained a man involved in the killing of the mother-of-three, aged 26, before releasing him.
Israel also issued an arrest warrant for Marwan Barghuti, the head of Arafat's Fatah movement in the West Bank, accusing him of "participation in terrorist activities" and complicity in murder."
Barghuti said the warrant was a blind for Israel to launch an assassination bid against him.
The much-delayed meeting between Peres and Arafat is intended to re-launch the Middle East peace process and end the year-long Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which has claimed more than 800 lives, most of them Palestinians.
Initial talks would focus on establishing a more robust cease-fire which, if it lasted, would open the door to the implementation of the Mitchell plan.
The plan calls for a six-week cooling off period and a freeze on Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories.
Peres met Erekat and Palestinian parliamentary speaker Ahmed Qorei Saturday as part of the preparation for the meeting.
The Israeli army's head of planning, Major Giora Eiland, laid out plans for easing the blockade on Palestinian territories and re-deploying Israeli forces following a withdrawal from reoccupied autonomous Palestinian land last week, diplomatic sources said -- JERUSALEM (AFP)
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