Jordan's King Abdullah II has told Israel to set the conditions necessary for peacemaking so that an agreement with the Palestinians can be reached this year. Abdullah's remarks came in a meeting Sunday with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, his royal palace said. The king also held separate talks with U.S. President Bush, the Associated Press reported. The Jordanian King urged Bush to maintain a hands-on approach to peacemaking, while he told Livni that Israel must immediately halt settlement activities in the West Bank and end its crippling economic blockade against the Palestinians. He said a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal must be reached this year.
