A planned meeting between Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas was postponed indefinitely.
The Israeli prime minister and Palestinian Authority president were to have met Thursday in Jericho, the latest in regular bilateral talks instigated by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
But Abbas aides said Wednesday that the summit was canceled amid Palestinian Authority anger at Israel’s refusal to discuss declaring a comprehensive truce in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Abbas has also been pressuring Israel to free Palestinian Authority tax funds that it has been withholding since Hamas took power last year.
Israeli officials confirmed that the summit was called off. No new date or venue were immediately given.
