JERUSALEM — Tensions between Israel and Egypt are growing worse each day.
At the same time, Jordan’s King Hussein is warning that the peace talks must stay on track, while Israeli-Palestinian flareups continue on the West Bank.
In the latest sign of deteriorating Israeli-Egyptian relations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a scheduled meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Amre Moussa on Monday in Lisbon.
The two were to observe a summit meeting of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe, the 52-member organization that brings together NATO countries and former members of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact to discuss security and human rights issues.
Israel’s growing tensions with Egypt come amid repeated statements from Cairo that Israel is to blame for the current impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for handing over most of the West Bank town of Hebron to self-rule.
The negotiations have dragged on for two months, with each side blaming the other for delaying an agreement.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Saturday of last week that he would seek international arbitration in an effort to force Israel to conclude an agreement.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai met Sunday with Egyptian Ambassador Mohammed Bassiouny in an effort to improve ties with Cairo.
During the meeting, Mordechai called on Egypt to act as a “bridge” between Israel and the Arab parties to the peace process.
After the meeting, Mordechai said an agreement on Hebron redeployment was at hand and reminded the Arab states that nothing would be gained by force.
“Forcible steps will be met with forcible steps. It won’t be worthwhile for the other side to act this way. It will be better if they seek other ways,” Mordechai said.
Cairo was the setting Sunday for an Arab League meeting to discuss the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
A Palestinian representative told the meeting that the policies of the current Israeli government threatened to reignite violence in the region.
Also on Sunday, Jordan’s King Hussein said he was growing frustrated with the pace of the Middle East peace process and said it was urgent that the peace talks not be derailed.
“I think I am becoming a little impatient and a little concerned,” Hussein told the British Broadcasting Corporation. “Without visible progress in implementing agreements reached earlier between the Israeli government and the Palestinians in particular, we are at the mercy of events.”
The Israeli daily Ma’ariv published an interview with Jordanian Prime Minister Abdel-Karim Kabariti on Saturday of last week, in which Kabariti said Jordan has lost faith in Netanyahu for not being forthright in dealing with Amman.
“We wanted very much to trust Bibi Netanyahu,” he said. “We gave Bibi Netanyahu every single chance and we gave him the benefit of the doubt, and we went to the Arab summit meeting and we worked towards convincing everybody that this newly elected prime minister needs time to get his act together.”
In Hebron, meanwhile, the absence of an agreement on Israel’s redeployment is creating further unrest in the already volatile town.
On Saturday of last week, Palestinians scuffled with Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank town, with each side claiming the other started the incident.
The scuffles took place as Palestinians demonstrated throughout the West Bank, calling on Israel to release Arab prisoners from its jails. Arab marches and sit-ins took place in all the main West Bank cities.
More than 100 settlers and Hebron Arabs clashed near the Avraham Avinu quarter Saturday night, with settlers saying Palestinians tried to assault Jewish girls and made rude gestures. Palestinians said that settlers began attacking them for no reason.
Two Palestinians were hurt and eight arrested during the clash, which lasted for nearly an hour, eyewitnesses said. Three Jews also reportedly were arrested, but later released.