Talks fail on cities’ handover

As a result, a meeting of field commanders tentatively scheduled for Monday was called off. ‘‘The meeting failed to reach a timetable of Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian cities,’’ said Elias Zananiri, a spokesman for Palestinian security Chief Mohammed Dahlan.

The disagreement was yet another hitch for a US-backed peace plan aimed at ending three years of violence and preparing the ground for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by 2005.

Zananiri said the main sticking point was Israel’s refusal to dismantle checkpoints surrounding Qalqiliya, Jericho, Tulkarm and Ramallah, the seat of Palestinian government, which curtail the movement of local residents.

Israeli officials gave a different account, saying the dispute arose over the fate of militants on Israel’s wanted list who Israel wants kept under close surveillance by Palestinian security forces, Israel Radio reported.

Israel, seconded by Washington, has called repeatedly on Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to disarm and dismantle militant groups as mandated by the roadmap, and ruled out significant pullbacks from occupied land until then. Abbas instead coaxed a unilateral truce from militant groups on June 29 to shore up the peace plan.

Meanwhile, one woman was killed and at least three people injured in a suspected bomb blast on Monday near the entrance to a popular restaurant in downtown Tel Aviv, police and fire services said.

The woman died in hospital after the explosion which blew up either in a lift or on the roof, near the restaurant in Yizhak Sadeh street, a police source said. (Reuters)