Palestinian reaction to the Middle East mission of the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, was uniformly negative. The Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat, complained that "nothing has happened". He called for urgent "international and Arab action . . . because the situation is highly dangerous". Michael Jansen reports from Jerusalem
The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Musa, rejected an appeal by President Bush to do more to fight terrorism in the Middle East, saying Israel must first end its attacks on the Palestinians. "Egypt rejects President Bush's appeal."
Mr Mahmud Abbas, an architect of the Oslo accords, the 1993 land-for-peace agreement that was supposed to usher in peaceful co-existence between Palestinians and Israel, said the Palestinians had expected Mr Powell to compel the Israeli Premier, Mr Ariel Sharon, to withdraw his forces from Palestinian self-rule areas. "You cannot talk about progress when there is no question of a pullout," he stated.
Palestinian anger was exacerbated by yesterday's Israeli raids into villages in the northern West Bank and house to house searches in curfewed Palestinian suburbs of Jerusalem.
Mr Ziad Abu Zayed, the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, told The Irish Times: "My first reaction is that the US is not willing to exert real pressure while Sharon continues his programme. The US is giving him time to do what he wants to do . . . If Powell could not achieve [an Israeli] ceasefire after Bush asked Sharon for an immediate withdrawal [on April 4th], Powell's visit is a joke. There needs to be continuous Arab and international pressure on the US to force Israel to comply with UN resolutions. Everything now depends on Sharon. No one knows whether he will engage in a crazy adventure in Hebron or Gaza or Bethlehem or Ramallah. We are willing to contribute to positive developments."
In the view of Mr Daoud Kuttab, a leading Palestinian commentator: "Powell wasted his time here. I don't think he had a very strong mandate. Members of his own administration put land mines in his way.
"It's a shame really because the Americans could really do a lot of good if they mean what they say and they say what they mean. They are using diplomacy to appease the Arabs, not trying to bring results."
Dr Sari Nusseibeh, one of Mr Arafat's advisers, said that Mr Arafat "is committed to a peaceful settlement with Israel in spite of what Israelis say they think of him. But he needs to have a decent solution which needs decent partners. Such a solution would bring an end to the occupation of 1967. We cannot accept less . . . If Sharon is an obstacle, he will be removed."
A meeting between the Egyptian President, Mr Hosni Mubarak, and Mr Powell was cancelled because the President was reportedly ill but he may be demonstrating his displeasure with Mr Powell's failure to achieve either a ceasefire or an Israeli withdrawal by cancelling a meeting with him without giving an explanation.
Instead, Mr Powell held discussions with foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan, the two Arab countries which have signed peace treaties with Israel.
The Jordanian Prime Minister, Mr Ali Abu-Ragheb, warned of "grave consequences for the region as a whole" if Mr Powell's mission failed.
There is speculation that Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah could call off his visit to the US on April 25th if Israel's incursions into the Palestinian areas continue. The prince, whose peace plan was adopted by the Arab summit late last month, has repeatedly refused invitations to the White House.