Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, right, looks over to Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-Ilah Khatib, left, during a news conference at a Jerusalem hotel Monday (AP)

	Israeli-Jordanian relations
	The original Jordanian-Egyptian proposal
	Don’t shoot the messenger Ellis Shuman
	What is Egypt's role in the peace process?
	Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
	The Jordanian National Information System

Khatib is the first Arab minister to visit Israel since the beginning of the Palestinian uprising seven months ago. Khatib almost cancelled his trip because of Israel's retaliatory air strike against a Syrian position in Lebanon on Sunday night. Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres managed to convince his Jordanian counterpart to carry out his mission. "When there is a military escalation, there is no need also for a diplomatic escalation" Peres told Khatib on the telephone.

The original joint Jordanian- Egyptian proposal has

"We need to study the proposal" - Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres

reportedly been revised in order to make it more acceptable to Israeli leaders. Khatib's visit at a time of heightened hostilities was welcomed as an attempt to improve strained Israeli-Jordanian relations.

Khatib described the proposal he was presenting as "a set of ideas" that deal with "the current crisis on the ground, ways and means to build confidence between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides and open the way towards the resumption of negotiations leading to a permanent, comprehensive agreement."

Khatib said that the proposal "aims at departing from … an occupier-occupied relationship, towards a relationship between partners."

Peres thanked the Jordanian FM for the nature and timing of his mission. "We appreciate the efforts to put out the fires, also from the Arab side, so that we can return to negotiations," said Peres.

"We need to study the proposal," Peres added, noting that this was the first time a formal version of the Jordanian-Egyptian proposal has been delivered to Israel. Peres also said that Israel would implement all signed agreements as long as the Palestinians did likewise. "In the agreement between us and the Palestinians, there is a basic assumption, and that is that differences will be aired out by communications and not by bullets", said Peres.

Without modifications plan could go nowhere
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's adviser, Raanan Gissin said that Israel welcomed the Jordanian efforts, but that any proposal that does not call for a "full-fledged," immediate cessation of Palestinian attacks is a "non-starter." Gissin also said that unless there are serious modifications in the plan, "it will go nowhere."

Gissin added that Israel does not want to commit to a date by which negotiations will be concluded. "An attempt to reach deadlines ... is a formula that has led in the past not to peace and not to security," Gissin said.

Yasser Arafat described the Jordanian-Egyptian proposals as "a very important initiative."

West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti denounced Khatib's visit. "Khatib should not have come, and no Arab capital should welcome any member of this government," he said. Barghouti dismissed the Jordanian-Egyptian peace plan as a waste of time. "I don't believe this government is ready for a peace settlement," he said.

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