Olmert’s discussions with the Hashemite King Abdullah II were reported to have centered on the issue of renewing peace talks between Israel and the PA.
in the face of great media interest, Yaakov Rosen, Israel’s new Ambassador to Jordan, downplayed the surprise visit, which government officials said had not been announced in order to maintain maximum security. Rosen told Voice of Israel state radio that such meetings are routine. However, King Abdullah telephoned PA leader Abbas during his two-hour conference with Israel’s Prime Minister.
In a public statement immediately following the not-officially scheduled and secret meeting, Jordan's King Abdullah offered to host talks between Fatah PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to put an end to the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Earlier in the day, Abbas said in a public address directed at the fighters that he was calling on “all, without exception, to adhere to a ceasefire and to end the killings and all other operations in order to maintain our national unity.”
At least six people were killed and 18 were wounded Tuesday, and another two Wednesday, in the fierce Hamas-Fatah militia war, despite a supposed ceasefire announced earlier this week. The wounded included five children who were caught in the crossfire. Four Fatah security officials and a Hamas policeman were kidnapped by each others’ forces on Tuesday, and within hours the bullet-riddled bodies of two of the Fatah officials were dumped outside a hospital.
Olmert, meeting Wednesday with visiting Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, said that Israel hopes Fatah and Hamas will stop fighting with each other. Referring to the Kassam rockets continuing to hit Israel, Olmert said, "Since our ceasefire with Hamas went into effect, there have been some 40 Kassam rockets against Israel. The last one fell just ten minutes ago while I was meeting with the [Norwegian] Prime Minister. Israel's self-imposed restraint will not be able to last for long."
Olmert also related to alleged Syrian offers for negotiations. "It's hard to take [Syrian President] Assad seriously," he said. "Syria continues to support terrorism in Iraq, cooperates with the President of Iran, and is doing all it can to topple the Seniora government in Lebanon. We want peace, not false pretenses."
in the face of great media interest, Yaakov Rosen, Israel’s new Ambassador to Jordan, downplayed the surprise visit, which government officials said had not been announced in order to maintain maximum security. Rosen told Voice of Israel state radio that such meetings are routine. However, King Abdullah telephoned PA leader Abbas during his two-hour conference with Israel’s Prime Minister.
In a public statement immediately following the not-officially scheduled and secret meeting, Jordan's King Abdullah offered to host talks between Fatah PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to put an end to the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Earlier in the day, Abbas said in a public address directed at the fighters that he was calling on “all, without exception, to adhere to a ceasefire and to end the killings and all other operations in order to maintain our national unity.”
At least six people were killed and 18 were wounded Tuesday, and another two Wednesday, in the fierce Hamas-Fatah militia war, despite a supposed ceasefire announced earlier this week. The wounded included five children who were caught in the crossfire. Four Fatah security officials and a Hamas policeman were kidnapped by each others’ forces on Tuesday, and within hours the bullet-riddled bodies of two of the Fatah officials were dumped outside a hospital.
Olmert, meeting Wednesday with visiting Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, said that Israel hopes Fatah and Hamas will stop fighting with each other. Referring to the Kassam rockets continuing to hit Israel, Olmert said, "Since our ceasefire with Hamas went into effect, there have been some 40 Kassam rockets against Israel. The last one fell just ten minutes ago while I was meeting with the [Norwegian] Prime Minister. Israel's self-imposed restraint will not be able to last for long."
Olmert also related to alleged Syrian offers for negotiations. "It's hard to take [Syrian President] Assad seriously," he said. "Syria continues to support terrorism in Iraq, cooperates with the President of Iran, and is doing all it can to topple the Seniora government in Lebanon. We want peace, not false pretenses."