Israel is sealing its borders with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in response to two bomb attacks which left at least nine people dead, including two bombers. Palestinians will be barred from entering or leaving Israel, the army announced. Ariel Sharon - who has delayed his scheduled departure for talks in Washington - has blamed the latest attacks on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Sunday's bombings - one of them on a Jerusalem bus - came just hours after Sharon met his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the highest level contact between the two sides for more than two years. Israeli ministers and security officials held emergency meetings to discuss the 'response' to the attacks on Sunday. The cabinet decided that any foreign diplomats who meet the Palestinian leader would not be allowed to meet any Israeli officials. But Sharon is said to have opposed a proposal from some of his ministers to expel Arafat, according to Israeli media reports. The closure of the Palestinian territories is a tough measure from Israel aimed at trying to prevent more bombings. Early on Sunday, a man disguised as an orthodox Jew blew himself up on a bus, killing seven passengers and wounding another 20. A second Palestinian blew himself up as emergency crews arrived at the scene of the blast in the north of the city - but did not cause any more casualties. Witnesses said a huge blast ripped the Jerusalem bus apart shortly before 0600 (0300 GMT) at a busy junction known as French Hill. Police said a bomber had boarded the vehicle and detonated explosives strapped to his body. The French Hill junction has been targeted by bombers before. It is a busy intersection where many people board buses, including Jewish settlers moving in and out of the West Bank. On Saturday, another bomb attack overshadowed the talks between Sharon and the Palestinian prime minister who is commonly known as Abu Mazen. Two Israelis were killed by a bomber in the West Bank town of Hebron shortly before the meeting began. Also in the West Bank on Saturday night, two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces when they infiltrated the Jewish settlement of Shaarei Tikva injuring two residents. Earlier in Gaza, Israeli soldiers shot and killed an armed Palestinian and wounded nine others during clashes in Beit Hanoun. Israel is demanding an end to attacks before it will move ahead with the implementation of the so-called roadmap for peace which envisages a Palestinian state. At the talks with Abu Mazen, Sharon urged the Palestinian Authority to tackle armed groups, particularly in Gaza. But Abu Mazen insisted he could only take security steps once Israel decided to accept the roadmap. Correspondents say the fact that there has been no immediate breakthrough is no surprise considering the gulf still separating the two sides. Sharon is expected to seek a number of modifications to the roadmap when he meets Bush. However, it is not clear when that meeting will take place after Sharon delayed his departure for Washington. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Palestinians throw stones towards an Israeli army vehicle during clashes in the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus May 18, 2003. Israel decided Sunday to impose a 'general closure' on the West Bank, tightening restrictions on Palestinians entering the Jewish state. 'In the framework of the closure, Palestinians will not be allowed to exit and enter the territory of the state of Israel,' the army said in a brief statement issued hours after the suicide attack on a Jerusalem bus. (Abed Omar Qusini/Reuters)