A spokesman for the British Prime Minister has said that the anticipated 'road map' to Middle East peace could be published in Washington today.
The plan, which is co-sponsored by the US, the EU, the UN and Russia, envisages the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
President Bush said last Friday that the road map would be laid out once a Palestinian prime minister with genuine powers took office.
Earlier, the Palestinian parliament voted 69-1 to pass a bill creating a new prime minister's post.
The bill was passed after a compromise was reached with the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, over changes he introduced to the bill.
The powers of the premier were defined in a landmark session last week.
Mr Arafat is now expected to formally ask Mahmoud Abbas, a prominent Palestinian moderate better known as Abu Mazen, to become prime minister and establish a cabinet within two weeks.
The new premier will take over day-to-day running of the Palestinian Authority.
But Mr Arafat will still retain overarching control of security services and peacemaking. This could meet US opposition.
Mr Abbas has criticised 29 months of militant violence against Israel as counterproductive to Palestinian nationalist aspirations.
Annan blasts Israeli 'failure'
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has criticised Israel for failing to protect civilians during military operations in the Gaza Strip.
A spokesman said Mr Annan was especially troubled that Israel appeared to be flouting international humanitarian law by not taking all possible measures to protect the civilian population.
The criticism comes after 11 Palestinians were killed during Israeli army raids into the Gaza Strip over the past two days.
Meanwhile an Israeli soldier and a member of Hamas were killed in an overnight shootout near Bethlehem.
The firefight erupted during an Israeli army raid in the West Bank town.
Elsewhere a Palestinian who was shot and wounded yesterday by Israeli forces during a funeral in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis has died.
