Israeli and Palestinian officials will attend a meeting of the high security commission Tuesday which will also be attended by US Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni, who met Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah Monday.
The Israeli daily Haaretz has quoted Israeli and US sources as denying Palestinian reports of a high profile security meeting.
The reports came as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Tuesday morning to update him on the call by EU foreign ministers on Monday to the Palestinian Authority to dismantle Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
He is due meet with Arafat and US envoy to the Middle East Anthony Zinni.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told Israel Radio from Rome Tuesday, "The onus is on the Palestinians. The Palestinians I speak with say they are prepared to repeat the actions taken in 1996. They are beginning to understand that Hamas is harming them no less than Israel."
In 1996, the Palestinian Authority took serious steps against resistance groups following a series of deadly suicide bomb attacks.
The four major international mediators - Zinni, Solana, UN envoy Terje Larsen and Russian envoy Andrei Vdovin - were also to consult Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, said the Tel Aviv-based daily.
At a speech read on behalf of Arafat at the OIC conference in Doha Monday, he said that resistance against occupation is a legitimate right for Palestinians – Albawaba.com
