Israel asks Abbas to put an end to rocket attacks

A deadly flare-up of violence over the weekend, which saw three Palestinian youths shot dead by Israeli troops, brought tensions between the two sides to their highest point since a summit more than two months ago when both Sharon and Abbas called for an end to hostilities.

Palestinian militants responded to the death of the three youths by lobbing more than 70 rockets and mortars at Jewish settlements and Israeli troop positions in Gaza.

While no one was injured by the barrage, the Israeli government is furious that Abbas and his security services appeared to have not lifted a hand to stop the attacks.

Sharon was likely to use his meeting with Bush to argue that Abbas was failing to honour commitments to rein in the militants, a point that his Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz made in person to the Palestinian leader in a late-night phone call.

"This can't continue," Mofaz was quoted as telling Abbas.

"You aren't doing what needs to be done, and Israel won't accept this. If you don't act quickly, who knows how badly this will deteriorate?"

Sharon described the firing as "a flagrant violation of the understandings" reached with Abbas at their summit in February, with an aide to the Israeli leader quoting him as saying that "it will be a central issue to be raised at my talks with President Bush".

The summit at Bush's Texas's ranch, an invitation which underlines the close alliance between the US and Israeli leaders, is designed to highlight Washington's support for the upcoming pullout of troops and settlers from Gaza.

Bush's support for Sharon's so-called disengagement plan is seen as a vital counter-balance to domestic opposition from many of the Israeli leader's one-time allies.