As the United States geared up for its new role as "referee" in the peace process, Palestinian officials yesterday accused the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, of seeking to torpedo the American peace effort.
"Every step Netanyahu has taken and will take has one goal, to cause the failure of [US Secretary of State Madeleine] Albright's initiative," said Mr Saeb Erekat, a leading Palestinian negotiator.
Mr Erekat said Mr Netanyahu was using tough economic sanctions imposed on the Palestinians following a July 30th double suicide bombing in Jerusalem to "wreck the atmosphere" ahead of an Albright visit. Ms Albright's spokesman said she has decided to make her first trip to the Middle East, but might go in September rather than later this month.
Mr Netanyahu "wants to keep on the punishment to create a clash between the Palestinians and Israel so he'll have a reason to end the peace process", Mr Erekat said.
The Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat, told a group of Israeli peace activists and left-wing MPs at a meeting in the West Bank town of Ramallah: "Ever since the government of Netanyahu came to power [in June 1996], the peace process has faced its most dangerous conspiracy."
"How can you dance the tango alone? You need a partner who is ready to dance with you. We say: `Is this government really ready to work with us to preserve the peace process and protect it? Is it really ready to do so?' I am sorry to say the answer is no," Mr Arafat said.
A senior US official meanwhile said Ms Albright was determined to push the Palestinians on the need to improve Israel's security as a precondition for her making a personal peace initiative.
But he also said Ms Albright was "equally determined" to deal with political issues which had brought the peace process to a halt, particularly Israel's expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Under an agreement brokered this week by the US special envoy, Mr Dennis Ross, officials from the US Central Intelligence Agency are sitting in on meetings between Israeli and Palestinian security chiefs to discuss actions needed to prevent terrorism.
Under the new mechanism set up by Mr Ross and involving CIA monitoring of Israeli-Palestinian security relations, the United States has effectively taken on the role of referee in the dispute about whether Mr Arafat is doing enough to fight terror.