Palestinian militants vow to continue resistance

An Islamic militant group has pledged to carry on with "resistance operations."

The move came despite what a Palestinian security official called a firm warning from Yasser Arafat that further suicide bombings in Israel could lead to arrests.

The Palestinian leader issued the warning in a late-night meeting with faction leaders including representatives of Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

Last night a suicide bombing claimed by Islamic Jihad killed two Israeli soldiers outside a railway station. Three other Israelis were seriously hurt.

It was the first suicide bomb blast since a truce was worked out last month by CIA director George Tenet.

"Arafat gave a clear and firm warning for Islamic Jihad and Hamas that any new operations in Israel mean that they are pushing us into doing arrests of their own activists," the security official said.

Abdullah Shami, an Islamic Jihad spokesman in Gaza, said: "No power in the world can stop the resistance operations that come as a reaction to the Israeli aggression ... we have nothing more to lose."

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has blamed Mr Arafat for the bombing, saying it "shows that the Palestinian Authority has not yet made a decision to fight against terror."