Dead Sea, Jordan - Saudi diplomat Turki al-Faisal al-Saud Saturday urged Palestinians to stop shedding each other's blood, and also called on them to stop directing their weapons towards Israel. "Our Palestinian brothers have to stop fighting not just with each other," al-Saud told reporters at the Jordan-based World Economic forum. "I would also call them to stop fighting Israel with military methods."
The Saudis are hoping Israel would get on board with an Arab- backed proposed peace initiative that promises recognition of the Jewish state, in addition to full diplomatic ties on the condition that Israeli troops would pullout from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, the Golan Heights in Syria and some territories in southern Lebanon.
Observers have said that it is unlikely that Israel would accept such a proposal, and in the Riyadh-based Arab Summit - held last March - Arab League Chief Amr Moussa had expressed doubt that Israel will accept the Saudi-proposed deal.
Reports circulating in Israel, Moussa had said, did not signal much approval. Observes had made it seem at the time that encouraging Israel to start negotiating the initiative was the only challenge.
Less than two months later, Arab leaders however admitted that it is the conditions in the Palestinian territories that do not pave the way for the re-launch of Arab-Israeli negotiations, and in turn the promotion of the Saudi peace initiative.
Last week, a spiral of violence between Palestinian rival factions Hamas and Fatah reignited with full force breaking a six-months-long cease-fire - despite of an earlier Mecca-based deal between the two ruling forces.
"It is a shame that we point our wrath and anger at our fellow Arabs and Muslims in a more deadly manner than we do our enemies," said al-Saud on Saturday.
The outbreak of violence overshadowed the planned peace talks in Jordan's forum held in the quite yet heavily secured Dead Sea resort.
Jordan's King Abdullah called for a halt in aggression in the Gaza Strip, deeming the Palestinian crisis a top concern and saying that there should be "no delay" for the Palestinians.
Palestinian refugees amount to over 600,000 of Jordan's 5.3 million population. According to recent statistics, 60 per cent of Jordanians are of Palestinian origin.
The official refugees however still live in camps around Amman, and are considered a burden of sort on the Jordanian state which is squished between Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories - all volatile spots whose conditions affect Amman and its policies.
