Jordan's King Abdullah II was due to be heading back home Monday evening after he wrapped up a short visit to Cairo where met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian lands. The summit coincided with an Israeli missile attack on Gaza, said reports.
Some 10 Israeli missiles pounded Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's heliport and destroyed two of his helicopters in Gaza City, shortly before sunset Monday.
There are reports of two human casualties and scores of injuries.
Al Jazeera satellite channel’s correspondent said that the monarch was to leave immediately after talks at iftar (breaking Ramadan fast meal).
The king did not speak to the press after the meeting.
Egypt and Jordan issued harsh condemnations of the Saturday and Sunday kamikaze attacks, which killed 26 Israelis and injured 220, said AFP.
Three suicide bombers and two gunmen were also killed in the carnage, claimed by the Islamic group Hamas, in west Jerusalem, the northern Israeli city of Haifa and near a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.
Egypt and Jordan, considered moderate Arab countries for their close ties to the United States and pro-peace stance, also demanded that Israel move to end the violence, which has claimed nearly 1,050 lives in 14 months.
"Egypt condemns all reciprocal acts of violence which target the innocent and demands an end to military actions and reprisals, to prevent bloodshed," Mubarak said Sunday.
"We deplore attacks and sympathize with the families of the victims. We deplore the fact that these events occur at a time when we are calling for international efforts to resume negotiations between the two sides."
Jordan offered a nearly identical stance, said the agency – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
