The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, has accused the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, of using the impending parliamentary elections as an execuse for freezing the peace process.

Mr Arafat said Israel was using domestic politics to avoid carrying out further troop withdrawals from the West Bank, in line with the agreement signed in October.

Israel cancelled a further troop withdrawal that was due earlier this month, and demanded that Mr Arafat should drop his plans to declare a Palestinian state next year.

Mr Netanyahu said at the start of his election campaign on Sunday that such a state would be a threat to the existence of Israel.