Now all Palestinian commitments have been forgotten and the days of good will gestures to the Palestinians for the sake of an improved climate of negotiation have returned.

Israeli officials say the depth of their withdrawal is, in part, dependent on their level of confidence in the Palestinian commitment to fight terrorism aimed at Israel.

American officials confirmed receiving such a plan today and said it fulfilled Palestinian commitments.

If the new government agrees to abide by previous Palestinian commitments to Israel, however, we should get back to the table quickly.

But Israeli officials said the meeting was successful because it had achieved their objectives - a Palestinian commitment to stop violence without Israeli concessions in advance of negotiations.

But many Palestinians seemed unmoved by Mr. Arafat's pledges, reflecting growing skepticism about the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the rule of law.

I want a Palestinian commitment to continue with the process.

Originally, Mr. Netanyahu was insisting on a five-month probationary period to test Palestinian commitments before Israeli troops begin any withdrawals.

American officials said that Mr. Baker still had not received a Palestinian commitment to attend the peace conference or to send representatives who would be acceptable to Israel.

He accuses Mr. Arafat of not keeping Palestinian commitments while saying it is the Israeli Government that wants to move forward to a final settlement.