JERUSALEM (Islamweb & Agencies) - An Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire appeared to exist in name only as Intifadha confrontations in the West Bank and Gaza spilled into Saturday in the absence of agreement over how to tackle the situation. (Read photo caption below). At the same time,Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon returned home on Friday from a lightning trip to Europe to shore up support, acknowledging disagreement with European leaders over Israel's strong-arm policies against the Palestinians.
On a third front, a U.S.-mediated meeting between Israeli and Palestinian security officials in Tel Aviv ended without agreement on the start of a seven-day truce intended to precede a cooling-off period and resumption of negotiations.
``The Israelis consider the cease-fire period has not begun,'' Palestinian head of general security in Gaza Major-General Abdel-Razek al-Majaydeh told Reuters.
``But we say that in accordance with the understanding with them and the Americans, the period has started, and ended on Wednesday.''
Underscoring the fragility of a three-week-old cease-fire, there was late night confrontations in the West Bank and Gaza, and at least 12 Palestinian demonstrators were injured by fire from Israeli soldiers earlier in the day.

WEST BANK, GAZA VIOLENCE
Palestinian security officials said Israel fired two tanks shells near the Gaza's Karni crossing with Israel late on Friday and toward a refugee camp near the Rafah border with Egypt.
The Israeli occupation army meanwhile said its soldiers had returned fire after two explosive devices and eight grenades were thrown at its occupation forces near Rafah.
The late night confrontations followed earlier tensions at the West Bank and Gaza flashpoints during which Israeli occupation soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinian demonstrators.

POWELL AGREES WITH SHARON
Israel diplomatic sources said Secretary of State Colin Powell had agreed in a telephone call with Sharon after his European trip that ongoing violence meant that ``the conditions are not yet ripe for advancing on the Mitchell plan.''The Palestinian WAFA news agency said that a telephone call between Powell and Arafat had focused on the continuation of ''Israeli assaults and assassinations.''
The cease-fire plan devised by U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet in mid-June has struggled under a fresh wave of Israeli-Palestinian confrontations in which at least 16 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have been killed.
PHOTO CAPTION:
A masked Palestinian throws rocks towards Israeli occupation soldiers during clashes in the dominantly Palestinian West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil), July 6, 2001. Israeli Prime Minister Sharon headed home from a lightning trip to Europe acknowledging disagreement over Israel's strong-arm policies against Palestinians. (Nayef Hashlamoun/Reuters)