Meanwhile, Israel army radio said that a Palestinian blew himself up in al-Khalil, killing a settler and wounding another. The bomber was disguised as an observant Jew, the radio said.

The blast occurred scarcely an hour before the first-ever meeting between Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon and his counterpart Mahmud Abbas, due to be held at an unknown location in west Jerusalem.

Security forces in the settlement's central square noticed a man dressed as a religious Jew, who was acting strangely, and approached him.

The man fled and shortly afterwards detonated his explosives, the radio said.

Al-Khalil is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site sacred to both Jews and Muslims in the West Bank city where around 600 hard-line settlers live under massive Israeli army protection surrounded by around 120,000 Palestinians.

On the political front, Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath said that Abbas will seek to convince his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, in talks Saturday night to accept the internationally drafted Middle East peace "roadmap" as it is.

Abbas "will try during this meeting to convince Sharon to accept the roadmap as it is," before Sharon leaves Sunday for talks in Washington with US President George W. Bush, Shaath said.

"We will immediately inform the Americans of the results of the Saturday night meeting," Shaath said, "so that Sharon cannot argue that he needs an additional delay before negotiating with the Palestinians.

"We want a clear Israeli response on the roadmap, and we will inform the Americans about that immediately and in detail."

Meanwhile, Palestinian information minister Nabil Amr said the Palestinian side would be represented by minister of state for security affairs Mohammed Dahlan and parliamentary speaker Ahmad Qorei.

"We will discuss the roadmap which lays down a political framework (for resolving the conflict) and will convince Sharon to accept it," Amr said.

He added that Abbas would also stress the need for Israel to remove its restrictions on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who has been under virtual house arrest in his Ramallah headquarters since December 2001.

Amr was highly critical of the gestures to the Palestinians made by Israel last weekend during U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit.

Those Israeli measures included the release of prisoners, who were already set to be free, and the half-day easing of border closures on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"There is nothing happening on the ground. All this is media speak," he said. "As Sharon and Abu Mazen meet, the situation on the ground is painful but we will continue our effort and commitment (to the roadmap)," he added.

Regardless of Sharon's response, Powell had assured the Palestinians the roadmap would not be changed, Amr claimed. "We have a commitment that the roadmap will not be changed," Amr said.

The Israeli government has not signed off on the roadmap, which Sharon has said he accepts in principle.

Sharon is expected at the White House on Tuesday, in what will be his eighth meeting with the U.S. leader since Sharon first took office in March 2001.

In another development, Abbas accepted Saturday the resignation of negotiations minister and peace advocate Saeb Erakat, a top official said.

"Abbas accepted his resignation during their cabinet meeting in Gaza City," Amr told reporters.

Erakat had tendered his resignation Thursday. He was angry over being excluded from the meeting planned for Saturday night between Abbas and Sharon, the first such high-level meeting since September 2000, when the 31-month Intifada erupted.