Barak refused to meet with Arafat

Ekhud Barak stated that he was not going to meet with the head of Palestinian National administration Yasser Arafat before the forthcoming Israeli Knesset elections. The elections are scheduled for February, 6. Thus, all the attempts of international mediators to arrange a new Israeli-Palestinian summit before the elections of the new Israeli PM gave no result. Meanwhile the situation in the Near East is still difficult. February, 2 new bloody clashes of Palestinian demonstrators with Israeli soldiers happened near Khevron after the traditional Friday’s Muslim prayer, RBC, citing DW reports.