Israel may face early elections if current efforts to assemble an emergency coalition government end in failure. The prospect added further uncertainty to an already fraught political and security situation which claimed the lives of two more young Palestinians yesterday.
The leader of the right-wing Likud party, Gen Ariel Sharon, said he was giving the Israeli Prime Minister a choice: agree terms for coalition government or call a general election. "Please, if we don't reach an agreement here, we go to elections," he told Mr Ehud Barak.
Two more Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank. A 16-year-old boy, Nidal al-Dbeiki, was killed by a bullet in the stomach at the Erez Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Another Palestinian, Nimr Yusif Meraei (22), died after he was shot in what were described as relatively light clashes near the West Bank town of Jenin. Last night Israeli tanks fired three shells at the West Bank town of al-Bireh in retaliation for sniper fire against a Jewish settlement.
It is estimated that at least 131 people have died, all but eight of them Palestinian, in a wave of unrest which began nearly a month ago. There have been approximately 4,000 wounded, including at least 33 Palestinians shot yesterday with live ammunition or rubber-coated metal bullets in the clashes at Jenin and Gaza.
Mr Barak's term of office could be cut short if a vote of no confidence is taken when the Knesset returns from its summer recess next week. However, Palestinian leaders have warned that a Barak-Sharon coalition would be the death-knell of the peace process.
Gen Sharon said the most decisive issue in talks would be how to cope with a unilateral decision by the Palestinians to declare an independent state. There has been some Israeli speculation that this could take place as early as November 15th.
The general is accused by Palestinians of provoking the current violence as riots erupted after his September 28th visit to a Jerusalem holy site held sacred by Jews as the biblical Temple Mount and by Muslims as the alAqsa mosque compound.
Jordanian police used tear-gas, water cannons and batons to disperse anti-Israeli protesters trying to reach a bridge leading to the West Bank. About 20 demonstrators were taken to hospital.
A senior Palestinian official said early today that President Clinton had invited Mr Arafat and Mr Barak to talks at the White House.