Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat faced mounting pressure from both Palestinian militant groups and Israel after his pleas for a cessation of violence were largely ignored. Israeli troops shot dead three Palestinians on Monday, including a Hamas member and a 12-year-old boy, after Israel dismissed Arafat as “irrelevant.” Palestinian gunmen later wounded four Jewish settlers in three ambushes in the West Bank as Islamic militant groups said they would continue their attacks. Full Story