US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell said today he had instructed his ambassador to Jordan to help Israelis and Palestinians build a "timeline" for peace and urged both sides to call an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
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US Senator George Mitchell.
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Mr Powell endorsed a report by a US-led committee released in New York that called for an end to violence and steps to rebuild trust, including a freeze on Jewish settlements.
Mr Powell told a news conference now was not the time for shuttle diplomacy but added: "I have instructed Ambassador to Jordan and [Assistant Secretary-designate for Near East Affairs] William Burns ... to join these efforts and make himself available to the parties."
The Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding committee, led by Mr George Mitchell, issued its long-awaited report today. It said: "Fear, hate, anger and frustration have risen on both sides. The greatest danger of all is that the culture of peace, nurtured over the previous decade, is being shattered."
Mr Powell said, "It is now up to the leaders in the region to show that they have heard this clarion call from this committee . . . Let's have a cessation of hostilities, then we can begin the confidence-building measures and move toward negotiations."
To help with this "timeline" he instructed US Ambassador to Israel Mr Martin Indyk and Consul-General to Jerusalem Mr Ronald Schlicher to "begin working immediately with the parties to facilitate implementation of the report's recommendations."
Meanwhile the European Union appealed to Israel today to show respect for human rights in the occupied territories and to halt and reverse the building of settlements on Palestinian land.
At talks in Brussels of the EU-Israel Association Committee which oversees bilateral ties, the 15-nation bloc also expressed concern about the economic plight of the Palestinian Authority.
The statement said the EU has always recognised Israel's legitimate security concerns but these must be addressed with full respect for human rights and within the framework of the rule of law, the statement said.
In this context, disproportionate use of force is inadmissible, it added. The EU - represented at today's talks by current president Sweden - condemned Israel's extra-judicial killings of Palestinians and assailed its settlements policy.