Sharon holds secret talks with Jordanian King

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon hosted a secret meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah yesterday to discuss his plan to withdraw unilaterally from parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The meeting took place at Sharon’s ranch yesterday but the premier’s aides refused to reveal details.

Abdullah flew by helicopter to the ranch in southern Israel, where the two men held a three-hour lunch meeting, reports said.

Sharon’s disengagement plan has raised concerns in Jordan, which borders the West Bank and has a large Palestinian population.

According to the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, Sharon apparently promised the king that Israel would continue to guard the border crossings. Sharon also assured Abdullah that Israel would do everything to ensure the integrity of Jordan.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops battled Palestinian militants near the Israeli settlement of Netzarim in Gaza today. Ten Palestinians and two soldiers were wounded in the fighting, according to army and Palestinian reports.

Three of the Palestinians were in critical condition, including two boys, aged 12 and 15.

Israel launched a new offensive into Gaza this week following a twin suicide bombing in the seaport of Ashdod that killed 10 Israelis. Israel has also been stepping up activity in Gaza ahead of a possible withdrawal from the area.

Sharon has proposed withdrawing from much of Gaza and parts of the West Bank if peace efforts with the Palestinians remain stalled. Israel is also building a separation barrier in the West Bank, which it says blocks suicide bombers.

Jordan fears the separation plan, especially the construction of the barrier, could lead to an exodus of West Bank Palestinians to Jordan. Such an influx would threaten Jordan’s delicate demographic balance. At least half of the country’s population is Palestinian.

The disagreements have strained relations between the two neighbours, which signed a peace agreement in 1994.