Sharon and Abbas hold summit

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas have met for the first time in four months to discuss efforts to coordinate Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
With tensions rising, prospects for any major breakthroughs appeared slim. Sharon was expected to demand a crackdown on militants, while Abbas was expected to push for wide-ranging moves to ease the burdens of occupation.
Tuesday's summit was the first meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders since they declared a cease-fire in February.
The truce has raised hopes that the Gaza pullout, scheduled to begin in August, could lead to a resumption of peace talks. But in recent days, the cease-fire has shown signs of unraveling. Early on Tuesday, Israel arrested 52 Islamic Jihad members in the West Bank, in its widest crackdown on the group since the truce declaration. The raid came in response to three consecutive days of attacks carried out by Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
The summit followed a weekend visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who urged both sides to step up cooperation to ensure a smooth pullout.