Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak telephoned Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Saturday to appeal for his "personal intervention" to restore calm in the Palestinian territories, a Barak spokesman said.
Barak called for Arafat's "personal intervention to stop the violence," said spokesman David Baker.
"The prime minister stated that Israel will not allow the violence to be a tool in the negotiations and that Israel will do everything to protect its citizens," Baker said.
Barak and Arafat agreed that the two sides would be "in constant contact to restore calm," he said.
More than 15 Palestinians were killed and more than 500 injured Saturday, two days after Israeli right-wing leader Ariel Sharon visited Jerusalem's mosque compound, a site sacred for both Muslims and Jews -- JERUSALEM (AFP)
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