Ceasefire agreed in Middle East summit

An eleventh hour agreement between the Palestinian and Israeli leaders brought the Middle East back from the brink of war yesterday…

An eleventh hour agreement between the Palestinian and Israeli leaders brought the Middle East back from the brink of war yesterday. But whether it will be little more than a face-saving diplomatic measure or a real step towards ending the current round of bloodshed depends on the reaction on the ground in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

After a day and a half of acrimonious and sometimes heated discussions in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh, a tired-looking President Clinton announced what he called "a summary" of the agreement but there appeared to be no signed document and there were no accompanying smiles or handshakes.

Warning that "we should have no illusions about the difficulties ahead," Mr Clinton outlined the three basic objectives that were agreed by the two sides.

First, both the Palestinians and Israelis are to issue public statements calling for an end to the violence. Israel is to pull back from the territories and end their closure, including the lifting of the blockade of Gaza port and airport.

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No time-frame was laid out but the US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, said a ceasefire was supposed to take effect within hours.

Second, an international fact-finding committee will examine the causes of the violence. This falls short of the Palestinian demand for a full international inquiry, to which Israel is adamantly opposed, but as a compromise allows for UN participation.

Finally, the two sides agreed to meet with the Americans again within two weeks to try and resume peace negotiations.

The Palestinian Planning Minister, Mr Nabil Sha'ath appeared to echo the prevailing sentiment when he told reporters: "We are not happy but we want to protect the lives of our people."

Israeli spokesmen were slightly more upbeat. But an ominous warning by the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ehud Barak, was a sharp reminder of the deal's vulnerability. "If it turns out, God forbid, that the summit did not lead to a decrease in violence," he said, then Israel "will know what to do."

Fighting raged on throughout the afternoon in Gaza and the West Bank, with at least two Palestinians killed. And Israel was threatening tank fire against the Arab town of Beit Jalla.