MIDDLE EAST . . . P.L.O. CLAMPS DOWN ON PRESS

The freshly minted peace between Israel and Jordan has exposed a raw nerve in the Gaza Strip, where police banned distribution of a pro-Jordan newspaper today. The first-ever censorship under Palestinian rule came after the paper, An-Nahar, left out P.L.O. chairman Yasser Arafat's objections to Jordan's "special role" in administering Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. Israel promised Jordan's King Hussein access to the shrines, but Arafat fears the deal could hurt chances to make East Jerusalem his state's future capital. His move has already backfired, says TIME Israel reporter Jamil Hamad, shoring up Hussein's position with Israelis and raising doubts that the intifadeh's old warriors can govern fairly: "There is a growing worry among the Palestinians that Arafat's promise of democracy is false."