Muslim states freeze Israel contact

Youths continue to stone Israeli soldiers in the West bank town of Ramallah

Muslim states have vowed to halt political contacts with Israel, in an attempt to pressure it to end eight months of clashes with the Palestinians.

Islamic foreign ministers meeting in Qatar ended with a statement that the group "decided to halt all political contacts with the Israeli Government so long as the aggression and blockade against the Palestinian people and its national Authority continues."

Yasser Arafat made an impassioned plea to the conference

The statement by the 56-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) also called for a halt in normalising ties with Israel and for the closure of its offices in member states.

But our correspondent Frank Gardner says the resolution is unlikely to have any effect, since Egypt and Jordan, which have signed peace treaties with Israel, have no intention of breaking off contact.

The OIC statement includes no punishment for countries that do not sever ties with Israel.

Protection

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat made an impassioned address to the meeting, calling for support of his people.

He accused the UN Security Council of not doing enough to protect Palestinians, and said Israeli aggression was being supported by the power which controlled the international community - referring to the United States.

The OIC called on Washington "not to obstruct the UN Security Council" in providing protection for Palestinians.

Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani has called for an emergency UN meeting

The organisation's move to freeze Israel contacts follows a similar one made by the Arab League in Cairo last week.

During the conference, Mr Arafat also accused Israel of using poison gas and radioactive materials against Palestinians. It was, he said, an unjust war to obliterate Palestinian history from the Holy Land.

According to Israeli radio, a spokesman for the Israeli army quickly rejected as "propaganda" the claims that it has been using depleted uranium and poison gas.

Correspondents say Mr Arafat's appeal comes amid a growing feeling in the Gulf states that the US is not doing enough to put pressure on Israel.

Criticism

The Palestinians want the Israeli Government to observe recommendations from the US-sponsored Mitchell inquiry into ending the violence, which includes a freeze on Jewish settlement building. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has consistently rejected such a move.

Our correspondent says Mr Arafat has the sympathy of the Islamic world and their verbal support, but finding a common Arab or Islamic approach towards Israel was proving difficult.

Qatar itself has come in for criticism by continuing to host an Israeli trade mission.

Key Arab states like Saudi Arabia and Egypt declined to send their foreign ministers to the conference despite last-minute lobbying by Mr Arafat.

But in an effort to show that this meeting has a practical purpose, the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani, called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to find a way to protect Palestinians.

He even called on the US President George Bush to intervene personally to find a way out of the current violence - something he has so far appeared reluctant to do.