Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has today that a failure by Israeli defence forces to hand over security control of Palestinian cities was hampering efforts to halt attacks on Israel.
Israel had frozen negotiations on a troop pullout from five West Bank towns - part of a series of gestures to boost Mr Abbas and promote peace efforts - after a Palestinian suicide bomber from the West Bank killed five Israelis in Tel Aviv last week.
Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon said Mr Abbas must rein in militants if such talks were to continue. Mr Abbas told reporters in Ramallah that the bomber, an Islamic Jihad militant, came from an area under Israeli army control, making his security forces powerless to stop him.
"Those who carried out the attack left from areas we are not responsible for," Mr Abbas said.
"Violations could take place here and there in areas under occupation, where we have no security control. We have told the Israelis when they pull out, we will take over. At this point we can't be held responsible."
Mr Abbas had condemned the bombing, the first deadly Palestinian attack in Israel since November and one which undermined a ceasefire declared by Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at a summit in Egypt.