News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) The planned meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has been delayed until Wednesday, one day later than originally scheduled, because of "technical reasons," government spokesman David Baker told Reuters News Agency. The meeting will take place at the Prime Minister's Jerusalem home.

Prior to the talks, Abbas is meeting with Jordanian and Egyptian officials in an attempt to shore up Arab unity and press Israel for maximum concessions. He has threatened that he will not attend the planned American conference on the Middle East if the two sides do not agree to a framework for the final status of a new Arab state within Israel's current borders.