After Abu Shanab's killing a ceasefire declared by militant groups on June 29 collapsed. Abbas came under even greater pressure to rein in militants, something he is reluctant to do for fear it will spark internal fighting.
Without Arafat's cooperation, a clampdown would be even more difficult, Amr said, noting that US Secretary of State Colin Powell made a similar statement after the bus bombing.
In a rare call on Arafat -- whom the US has ignored for months -- Powell called on the Palestinian leader last week to hand over control of his security forces to Dahlan so he would be able to effectively fight terrorism.
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