Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was warned against escalating violence between the Palestinians and Israel on Sunday by Jordan's King Abdullah II. (AP)
Jordan's king speaks with Abbas, warns against uptick in violence
By Israel Insider staff and partners June 26, 2006
Jordan's King Abdullah II spoke on the phone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday and warned him against escalating violence between the Palestinians and Israel, the official Petra news agency reported.
Abdullah urged both sides to "exercise maximum restraint and arbitrate using the language of reason and logic," the report said.
Early Sunday, two Israeli soldiers were killed and one was captured after militants affiliated with the Palestinians' ruling Hamas party tunneled into southern Israel in a brazen pre-dawn attack.
Abdullah reportedly told Abbas he would contact all the involved parties in order to "avoid further deterioration" in the situation.
Abbas also briefed Abdullah on developments in Gaza, "calling on the international community to shoulder responsibility to calm the situation," the report said.
It also said the Jordanian monarch met Sunday with European Union and G-8 ambassadors in Amman and warned them about the "escalation and negative repercussions on stability and security in the region."
He urged "consolidated international efforts ... to help Palestinians and Israelis see eye to eye ... and take the necessary efforts to resume the peace process according to the road map" -- an internationally backed peace plan outlining steps for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Abdullah also called on the international community to "ease the financial crisis" suffered by ordinary Palestinians because of a freeze in funding by donors refusing to give money directly to Hamas, which calls for Israel's destruction.
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