Arab meet united on offer to Israel

But still unknown is how the Arabs will persuade Israel to accept the initiative, which the United States and Europe hope can help build momentum for a resumption of the long-stalled peace process.

Israel has said it could accept the offer with some changes, but the Arab leaders refused the amend it.

Instead, they created 8220;working groups8221; that will seek to drum up support for the deal from the US, UN and Europe. US allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan hope the smaller groups will be able to be more flexible in promoting the offer to win acceptance, despite the summit8217;s rejection of changes.

8220;The Palestinian people is sincere in extending its hand of peace to the Israeli people, and I call on that people and its leaders to share that dream with us,8221; Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the summit in a speech on Thursday. He said Saudi Arabia should head the working groups, which should have 8220;freedom to move according to the circumstances to achieve our national goals.8221;

On Wednesday King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia made an unprecedented public attack on America, condemning the 8220;foreign occupation8221; of Iraq by his oldest ally. Opening a summit of the Arab League in capital Riyadh, the king warned of the consequences of Iraq8217;s sectarian bloodshed between Sunni and Shi8217;ite Muslims.

The summit was to 8220;call on the government of Israeli and the Israelis at large to accept the Arab peace initiative and seize the available opportunity to resume direct and serious negotiations on all tracks,8221; according to a draft resolution expected to approved by the Arab leaders before the close the two-day summit .

The initiative offers Israel recognition and permanent peace with all Arab countries in return for Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 war. It also calls for setting up a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital and a 8220;just solution8221; to the issue of Palestinian refugees forced out of lands in what is now Israel. Israel rejects a full withdrawal from the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and it strongly opposes the influx of large numbers of Palestinian refugees into the Jewish state.