Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak held talks in Cairo today on efforts to revive Middle East peace talks after Israel's prime minister outlined a vision that was criticised by Egypt and other Arab states.
Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed - with tough conditions - the establishment of a demilitarised Palestinian state in a policy speech a week ago, a proposal Cairo said was flawed and fell short of the Palestinian state Arabs seek.
Mr Netanyahu, speaking on June 14th, said Palestinians must recognise Israel as a Jewish state and forego the right of return for refugees. He failed to promise a halt to Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said Israel's call to recognise Israel as a Jewish state undermined efforts to achieve peace and said he had told Mr Netanhayu, who visited Egypt last month, that peace talks should resume where they left off.
Egypt's official MENA news agency said Mr Mubarak met Mr Barak shortly after arriving on his visit lasting a few hours.
The trip was "to discuss efforts to revive the peace process in the Middle East, the situation in the Palestinian areas and efforts exerted by Egypt to begin serious talks between the Palestinian and Israeli sides," MENA reported.
An Israeli official said Mr Barak's visit aimed to look at ways to move ahead in peace talks, after Netayahu's speech and an address by US president Barack Obama from Cairo on June 4th that covered Middle East peace and other topics.
"It follows on from the big speeches, and aims to explore the opportunities ahead," the Israeli official said shortly before Barak's trip.
Like Egypt, Palestinian officials have also voiced opposition to many aspects of Netanyahu's proposal.
Palestinian leaders have refused to recognise Israel as a Jewish state because they believe it weakens the position of the 20 per cent of Israel's citizens who are Arabs.
They also say it undermines a key demand for a right for Palestinians to return to areas in Israel from which they fled or were forced out in a 1948 war ahead of Israel's creation.
Arab foreign ministers meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Obama's address and Netanyahu's proposal, MENA also reported.
Reuters