The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas threatened to resign yesterday as he came under increasing criticism by some within Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction over the direction of the peace negotiations.

This comes as the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said rogue elements of its group were responsible for Monday’s bombing in Israel that killed a woman in her home. Meanwhile AFP is reporting that Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian man in the West Bank this morning.

In Washington, Bush administration officials said the White House would soon announce the giving of $20 million in new aid to the Palestinians. The Palestinians currently receive about $100 million from Washington annually; Israel receives 30 times that amount or $3 billion.