King Hussein of Jordan did not mince his words yesterday, describing the continuing impasse in the Middle East peace process as "a dangerous moment", after emerging from closed-door talks with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu. The king told a press conference in the Jordanian port of Aqaba "enough damage" had occurred" and there was a "need for us to pass this dangerous stage . . . otherwise no one can predict what the future will bring."
While the king, who has had a somewhat rocky relationship with Mr Netanyahu over the last year, described his talks with the Israeli leader as "frank", the meeting produced no tangible thaw in the peace deadlock. Mr Netanyahu also gave no sign he was about to significantly ease the closure and economic punishments imposed on the Palestinians in the wake of last month's double suicide bombings in Jerusalem.
The Israeli leader informed the king that each time the Palestinian leader, Mr Yasser Arafat, took a concrete step against Islamic militants, he would ease the economic blockade further. Mr Netanyahu said Israel had information about the planning of additional terror attacks, but that if Mr Arafat showed he was ready to "battle the terrorists . . . we shall adjust our measures accordingly".
Meanwhile, the US peace envoy Mr Dennis Ross yesterday finished his four-day Middle East shuttle mission aimed at renewing Palestinian-Israeli security co-operation, with a final round of talks with Mr Netanyahu and Mr Arafat. "On this particular mission we have made some headway in terms of re-establishing that [security] relationship," said a cautiously upbeat Mr Ross. "We've created a process for them to work together . . . now we'll have to see how it develops."
However, his task was not made easier yesterday by Israel's demolition of seven Palestinian houses which were built without permits - a move which brought to 16 the number of illegally built Palestinian homes demolished by Israel in Jerusalem and the West Bank since the suicide attack.
It is difficult for Palestinians to obtain building permits in Jerusalem - a policy they say Israel has adopted to decrease their numbers in the capital. While fewer than 600 Arab homes have been built with government funding since Israel conquered the eastern half of the city in 1967, more than one-third of east Jerusalem land has been expropriated to build close to 36,000 homes for Jews.
Peter Hirschberg is a senior writer at the Jerusalem Report
. Israeli-Palestinian talks this week made headway on security issues but the US wants to see results from Mr Arafat, the US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, said yesterday.
"What we have to do is see actions, results," she told reporters. Ms Albright said she would be going to the Middle East "in the coming days or weeks" but her decision would be based on reports by her advisers.
"We consider it essential that the violence be stopped and everything be done by Chairman Arafat to make sure that the infrastructure of the terrorist groups is dismantled and that he make 100 per cent effort in order to make sure that the terrorist activities do not take place," she said.