Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned Arabs on Sunday against talking rashly about war with Israel, calling instead for a "wise reaction" to escalating tension.
"Declaring a war is not something simple," Mubarak told Egyptian reporters, distancing himself from remarks made by Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh.
"We are in a very grave situation which demands a wise reaction," he said.
"Those who speak of war do not know the meaning of the word," he added.
Saleh has called for arms and combatants to be sent to help the Palestinians fight Israel, while Kadhafi said any Arab summit should declare war or impose an economic boycott against the Jewish state.
Mubarak said an emergency Arab summit, which he has called for October 21-22 to deal with the crisis, "must not be submitted to any condition."
The Egyptian leader said peace was still possible "if we use reason and stop outbidding ourselves" with hard-line reactions.
Egypt plays a key intermediary role as the first Arab country to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, which it did in 1979 - CAIRO (AFP)
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