A fragile Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire was under threat last night, despite a day of relative calm in the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two Muslim factions that orchestrate suicide bombings inside Israel, made it clear that they fully intended to continue. In an effort to make a success of the truce the Bush administration announced it was dispatching the CIA chief, Mr George Tenet, to the region today, and Washington optimists say the Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, will follow if the ceasefire holds. Mr Powell called Mr Arafat for the second time in 24 hours to discuss the deteriorating situation.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) President, Mr Yasser Arafat, under unprecedented US and European pressure following Friday night's suicide bombing, issued a ceasefire call at the weekend and held talks with representatives of the Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. It was initially suggested that these factions would heed Mr Arafat's call for an end to attacks on Israeli targets, and a joint statement was issued yesterday morning by Hamas and Mr Arafat's Fatah faction of the PLO. However, Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders made it clear later in the day that the bombings would not stop.
"Our policy is to continue the Intifada and resistance," said a Hamas spokesman in Gaza.
It had always seemed highly unlikely that the Muslim radicals would volunteer to halt their attacks. They are, after all, ideologically committed not merely to ending Israel's occupation of all West Bank and Gaza territory, but to the elimination of Israel itself.
The international community has been demanding that Mr Arafat mobilise his PA security forces to thwart further such attacks, and this, his aides indicated yesterday, he does not intend to do.
Specifically, the aides said, he does not plan to rearrest dozens of Islamic militants, the men allegedly behind the suicide bombings, who were freed from PA jails last autumn.
Before he meets Mr Arafat later this week, Mr Tenet will call on the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, and will be handed a list of names of such militants and a firm Israeli demand for their rearrest.
Mr Sharon, who believes his decision not to retaliate after the Friday suicide bombing has won Israel tremendous support internationally, used unmistakable language yesterday to underline his contempt for Mr Arafat.
While the Foreign Minister, Mr Shimon Peres, was speaking happily about the first signs of a "calming of tempers" after more than eight months of violence, Mr Sharon was again describing Mr Arafat as "a murderer and a pathological liar" and lamenting that naive world leaders still laid out a red carpet for him.
Palestinian officials claim Mr Sharon has barred Mr Arafat from using his helicopter to travel between the West Bank and Gaza; Israeli officials gave no clear reaction to this charge.
The Palestinians also said Israel tried to assassinate an Arafat loyalist, Mr Ashraf Bardawil, in Tulkarm yesterday. Mr Bardawil was badly hurt when his car blew up. The Israeli army denied knowledge of the incident.
The former US senator, Mr George Mitchell, yesterday called on the US to play a continued active role in the Middle East to help bring about a peaceful end to the conflict.
Israel announced it was lifting its ban on the supply of fuel and gas from Israel to the West Bank and Gaza. The decision was made after determining that the level of violence had dropped since Mr Arafat promised a ceasefire.
