MIDEAST . . . JORDAN, ISRAEL SHAKE HANDS

Jordan's King Hussein and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ended a 46-year state of war at a White House ceremony, but stopped short of signing a peace treaty. Seated at the desk used for the 1979 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, the two leaders committed to ventures including direct telephone links, two open-border crossings, an international air corridor and negotiations to end mutual economic boycotts. U.S. officials acknowledged that Hussein's January and June visits to Washington, ostensibly for medical treatment, included cloakroom negotiations to set the stage for today's pact. BACK IN THE MIDEAST: While many Israelis and Jordanians celebrated the event, Iranian-backed guerrillas ambushed and wounded five Israeli soldiers in South Lebanon in an attack apparently timed to coincide with the White House event.