TODAY marks three months since the elections that brought Mr Benjamin Netanyahu to power in Israel. The Palestinians will commemorate the event with a four hour general strike, called by Mr Yasser Arafat in protest at the new government's plans for settlement expansion and a recent series of provocative measures against Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
Tomorrow, Mr Arafat has urged his people to defy the closure orders that have kept, Palestinians from entering Israel from the West Bank and Gaza for the past six months, and to gather on Jerusalem's Temple Mount to pray presumably for a change of heart from Mr Netanyahu.
Raging at this week's Israeli news reports that a new 900 home neighbourhood has been approved for construction at the ultra Orthodox West Bank settlement of Kiryat Sefer, Mr Arafat told a meeting of his Palestinian Council, in Ramallah, that the Netanyahu government appeared bent on "humiliating" his people.
Accusing the Israeli coalition, of "declaring war on the Palestinians with its settlement policy, he stormed: "We cannot keep silent. We cannot tolerate his hellish plan."
Mr Arafat was also clearly infuriated by Tuesday's demolition of a Palestinian day centre in East Jerusalem - knocked down by Jerusalem city authorities whoa said it had been built illegally. Earlier this week, a Jerusalem based member of Mr Arafat's council, who has defied Israel by running an office from his home, had furniture and electrical appliances seized by city bailiffs - officially because of non payment of city taxes.
Israel has also demolished several illegal West Bank structures in recent weeks.
Mr Arafat's call for a strike which will have little impact on Israel, but is evidently designed to boost Palestinian solidarity reflects his growing despair at Mr Netanyahu's policies. Three months after the elections, the Israeli army withdrawal from Hebron has still not taken place, there have been no direct contacts between Mr Arafat and Mr Netanyahu, the closure remains in force, and the government has formally lifted the coalition's settlement freeze.
Moderates on both sides fear that a resumption of violence cannot be far away.
As Mr Arafat was issuing his strike call in Ramallah, Mr Dennis Ross, the US peace mediator, was meeting with Mr Netanyahu's aide, Mr Dore Gold, in Paris.
David Horovitz is managing editor of the Jerusalem Report
. Israeli army units went on alert yesterday in advance of today's general strike, military officials said.
Meanwhile gunmen shot and wounded two people when they hear a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, a police officer said.