FOR the first time in the five-day siege of Yasser Arafat's office, Israeli and Palestinian officials met yesterday to try to end the standoff, and Israel later eased Arafat's isolation by allowing a Palestinian Cabinet minister to brief him on the negotiations.

　　The meeting came a day after Israel halted the demolition of Arafat's headquarters. Israeli troops yesterday maintained their siege of Arafat's office.

　　With the blockade now in its fifth day, Palestinian protests and international criticism of the Israeli operation intensified.

　　Palestinians observed a commercial strike in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip yesterday. In Gaza City, thousands of people marched in support of Arafat, most of them school children bused to the rally. ``We are not going to raise the white flag,'' a senior Arafat aide, Tayeb Abdel Rahim, told the crowd.

　　The U.N. Security Council was scheduled to convene yesterday to discuss the operation. European and Arab states demanded flatly that Israel end its siege.

　　Monday's meeting between Israeli military officials and Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat took place at Israel's Beit El military base north of Ramallah, Palestinian officials said.

　　In the meeting, Israel demanded that the Palestinians put together a list of all the people holed up with Arafat, the officials said. Israel says Arafat is not a target of the assault, but demands the surrender of everyone in his office, alleging that suspected terrorists are hiding inside.

　　But Arafat will not agree to hand over any militants, said Palestinian legislative council member Hatem Abdel Khader who spoke to him by phone Sunday. ``I will not kneel before Sharon, or willraise a white flag to Sharon,'' Arafat said, according to Abdel Khader.