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Arab Leaders Meet as Palestinian-Israeli Truce Collapses
Arab leaders began meeting on Saturday to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli clashes, which continued after a cease-fire agreement was reached earlier this week.
At least 15 heads of state took part in the first summit since 1996 of the 22 Arab League members. The summit was prompted by the more than three weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, which have left over 100 Palestinians dead and thousands of others wounded.
Fierce clashes erupted on Friday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and at least seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. The new wave of clashes have dampened the hope that the two sides could hold the agreement reached Tuesday between Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in Egypt.
The renewed bloodshed was believed to push the Arab leaders to toughen their stances against Israel. Some of the countries have called for a hard line to force Israel to halt violence and honor the signed peace agreements.
But, meanwhile, Israel has also put pressure on the Arab summit.Barak said Friday night that Israel will reassess the peace process
with the Palestinians after the Arab summit and decide if it would
suspend the process.
The Arab leaders are expected to issue a final communique at the
end of the two-day summit to condemn Israel's excessive use of
force against unarmed Palestinian civilians, but they are unlikely
to take tougher steps including cutting relations with the Jewish
state.
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