Arafat heads national unity meeting including Hamas

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat heads a national unity meeting today, with militant groups--expected to include members of Hamas--called to address Israeli expectations of the Palestinian Authority in fighting terrorism.

The meeting comes as a reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to seal off both the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the suicide bombings exploded in Jerusalem on July 30, a Palestinian official said yesterday.

Palestinian Minister of Supplies, Abdel-Aziz Shaheen, said yesterday that the meeting is considered a national response to "a failed policy applied by a stranger, Netanyahu, and as a response to the Israeli collective punishment measures and seizure."