Uphill Battle for Second Day of Arab Summit

B E I R U T, Lebanon, March 27 -- The Middle East is reeling from waves of disappointment as it faces the second day of the Jewish Passover holiday and the second day of an Arab League summit that was billed as a potential solution to the region's woes.

Instead, Israeli families mourn the at least 19 killed and hundreds more wounded in a suicide bombing at a resort hotel in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya. The attack took place as diners at the hotel held a Passover seder.

And in Beirut, Lebanon, Arab leaders struggle to recover from the breakdown of order at their meeting.

Palestinian officials at the summit walked out in protest Wednesday over what they called the blocking of a speech by Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat that was to be relayed via satellite.

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah unveiled his widely anticipated Middle East peace proposal at the meeting, but the proposal was overshadowed by the bombing, the walkout, and the absence of three key figures in the peace process: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah.

How Should Arafat Speak?

Arafat said he would not attend the meeting after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the Palestinian leader may not be allowed to return home when the summit ended. Instead, Arafat planned to address the meeting via satellite — a televised speech that Lebanese officials blocked on Wednesday because Arafat wanted to do it live.

The Lebanese decision prompted the Palestinian delegation to leave the summit in protest. But Lebanese officials said the disruption was caused by a "misunderstanding" as they feared an Israelis might interfere with the live transmission line.

Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said a taped version of Arafat's speech would be aired on Thursday. Palestinian officials are expected to return to the summit.

Arafat went ahead with the speech, which was broadcast on Al-Jazeera.

"In the name of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership, I would assert here our welcome of the courageous initiative which was declared by Crown Prince Abdullah regarding a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he said in his speech.