Fatal blast at checkpoint fails to halt peace moves

Three Palestinian gunmen died in the Gaza Strip yesterday when their explosives-laden car blew up beside an Israeli army checkpoint. The blast was so powerful that soldiers were uncertain at first whether there were two or three bodies inside the shattered vehicle.

The incident is not expected to halt ceasefire negotiations opened last week between senior officials. Dov Weissglass, bureau chief of Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister, is due to continue talks today with Hani al-Hassan, the Palestinian Interior Minister.

The bomb went off at the Gush Katif junction, where thousands of Palestinian cars pass daily between the northern and southern ends of the strip. Four Israeli soldiers were treated for light injuries and shock. An army spokesman said the car changed course and drove straight at the checkpoint. The sentries opened fire and the gunmen shot back. After a brief exchange, the Palestinians detonated their vehicle.

The radical Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. The pan-Arab television station al-Jazeera screened footage of the three gunmen, dressed in military fatigues, filmed before they set out. They said they were "responding to the Zionist massacres".

This latest attack underscores the difficulty of quelling the conflict, even if the Israeli and Palestinian leaders want a ceasefire. Islamic militants and some factions of Yasser Arafat's Fatah are determined to go on fighting.

A leaflet distributed last week by Nablus members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a Fatah militia, threatened Mr Hassan's life after he called for restraint. At the same time, Israeli troops are cracking down as hard as ever on suspected militants.

The ceasefire overtures began on Wednesday, when Mr Sharon entertained Ahmed Qurei, the Speaker of the Palestinian parliament, for two and a half hours over dinner in his Jerusalem residence. They agreed to promote a "return to sanity" and to meet again.

Mr Sharon is seeking a phased ceasefire, city by city in the West Bank and Gaza, with the army withdrawing and giving the Palestinian security forces a chance to prove that they can stop the violence. The Prime Minister reiterated that he would not negotiate a more comprehensive peace agreement while Mr Arafat remained in power.

Mr Qurei attended with the Palestinian leader's blessing. Israeli sources described the atmosphere as "candid and serious". Mr Arafat told reporters in Ramallah on Saturday: "We are holding contacts with everyone in order to reach a just solution based on peace, agreements and United Nations resolutions."

In a radio interview, Mr Weissglass said: "The plan is to encourage the Palestinians to act energetically and with determination to stop terror."

Some Israeli commentators doubt whether the battered and depleted Palestinian security forces could now tame the militants, but Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, gave them a qualified vote of confidence. "If they are allowed to rebuild and to work, they can do it," he said.