Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman on Tuesday night after receiving an invitation from the king.

According to Yediot Achronot, in its disclosure of the secret meeting, the king is calling on Israel to refrain from any major military incursion into Gaza since such a move would have harsh ramifications in the Hashemite Kingdom.

According to the report, the king told the senior ministers that 60% of his citizens view themselves as “Palestinians” and a major incursion into Gaza by Israeli forces would result in widespread violence in Jordan.

The two explained to the Jordanian monarch that if Hamas continues to launch rockets into Israel, the current policy of restraint will come to an end, compelling Israel to respond to the attacks.

Olmert is of the opinion that the IDF will have to enter Gaza at some point in the hope of eradicating a major quantity of weaponry that has been smuggled into Gaza by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terror organizations.

Barak on the other hand remains confident that the ceasefire can be restored and calm may be brought to southern Israel.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)