Israel arrests bus bomb suspect

Israel says the Fatah movement is behind the bombing

Israeli security services have arrested a Jordanian who they say is a prime suspect in a bus bombing in Tel Aviv at the end of December.

Israeli police said in a statement on Sunday that Abdullah Abu Jaber, 25, was arrested on 29 December, the day after the attack.

Palestinian leaders find it hard to call a halt to the uprising

Officials took the opportunity to repeat accusations that the Palestinian leadership was behind the bombing.

The announcement came as a Palestinian woman was reported killed and a 10-year-old boy critically injured in separate incidents on the West Bank.

Palestinian and Israeli security chiefs have been meeting CIA head George Tenet in the Egyptian capital Cairo to discuss ways to reduce the violence.

The talks are part of President Bill Clinton's final effort before leaving office to bring the two sides together.

'Palestinian recruit'

The Israeli police statement said that the alleged bomber had confessed to the crime.

He was said to have been recruited by intelligence officers from the Palestinian military and members of Tanzim, an armed group which Israel says is associated with Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.

The Palestinian leadership denies the charges.

But correspondents say that the fact that such allegations are being made is a measure of how much trouble the peace process is in.

The Israelis, backed by the US, also want the Palestinian leadership to re-arrest Islamic militants recently released from jail and resume security co-operation.

But there is little optimism about the chances of an effective security pact being implemented on the ground.

Mr Arafat's Palestinian Authority is believed to be in a difficult position - it finds it hard to tell its people to give up their daily clashes when there is no acceptable peace deal on the table.

US proposal in jeopardy

Also on Sunday, President Clinton will decide whether there is sufficient agreement between the two sides on his proposals to warrant further discussions before his presidency ends on 20 January.

Barak's survival depends on progress towards peace

Key clauses of Mr Clinton's peace blueprint call on the Palestinians to give up the right of return for refugees, in exchange for sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem.

Both sides have said they doubt that Mr Clinton can forge an agreement before he leaves the White House.

But the head of the Israeli delegation to the Cairo security talks said the discussions on halting violence could help achieve a wider agreement.

Former army chief Lipkin Shahak said Mr Clinton might issue a statement acceptable to both sides that would preserve the progress made in negotiations so far.