Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer is likely to cancel his weeklong trip to the U.S., scheduled to have begun tomorrow. He and Prime Minister Sharon will hold a security consultation this afternoon. Ben-Eliezer said that the government has no intention of causing the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, \"as the right wing demands.\" He expressed the hope that the U.S. will pressure the Palestinians to stop their attacks.



Foreign Minister Shimon Peres departs today for a two-day visit to England, where he will meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair and other British leaders. Deputy Minister Avi Yechezkel (Labor) has joined several Likud MKs in opposing continued contacts with Yasser Arafat. Yechezkel said that neither Foreign Minister Peres nor Omri Sharon should meet with Arafat, as the principle of \"no negotiations under fire\" must be absolute.