A joint security meeting with Israelis and Palestinians ended early Thursday without a cease-fire agreement because of "gaps and differences" on both sides, a senior Israeli defense ministry official said, quoted by CNN. The official, however, said the two sides agreed to another security meeting and will continue negotiating in the coming days. The official would not elaborate on what the main stumbling blocks were. The joint security meeting, chaired by U.S. Middle East Envoy Anthony Zinni, lasted just more than three hours. It took place soon after a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated himself on a bus in northern Israel, killing seven people and wounding at least 30 others. CNN also reported that the Bush administration is making tentative plans for Vice President Dick Cheney to depart Washington as early as Sunday for a meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat that would take place prior to the Arab League summit next week in Beirut.

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