Arafat and Hamas differ on cease-fire timing

PALESTINIAN leader Yasser Arafat yesterday said a formal cease-fire announcement was imminent after Palestinian negotiators secured a commitment from Islamic militants to halt attacks on Israelis for three months.

However, there were growing signs a declaration might only be made over the weekend. Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi said the militant group will "declare to everyone its final decision in the coming days", even though Arafat said an announcement could be made "in the coming few hours".

Despite the promises, violence continued. A Palestinian shot dead an Israeli man and seriously wounded a second both telephone company employees in northern Israel near the West Bank border. Security guards wounded and arrested the assailant, a member of a militia linked to Arafat's Fatah movement.