Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has put his plans for a unilateral pull-out from much of the West Bank on hold for now, but has not abandoned the idea altogether, a Cabinet minister said today, confirming a newspaper report.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today announced his candidacy for leadership of the ruling Likud Party, issuing a direct challenge to current party head Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Palestinian medics began searching for bodies in the devastated Jenin refugee camp today, as Yasser Arafat conditionally accepted an Israeli proposal for a Mideast peace summit led by the United States.

Across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, ordinary Palestinians accepted Ariel Sharon's election victory with stoic equanimity.