Cease-Fire Offer Focus Of Dispute Hussein, Netanyahu Seem To Contradict Each Other

In a sign of growing strain between the two leaders, Benjamin Netanyahu and King Hussein appeared to contradict each other Wednesday over exactly when the Israeli leader received the king’s message about a Hamas cease-fire offer.

The exchange was the latest fallout from the Mossad’s bungled assassination of a Hamas leader in Jordan on Sept. 25. The attack infuriated Hussein, who is grappling with a strong Islamic fundamentalist movement in his kingdom.

Israeli newspapers indicated Wednesday that Mossad was to blame for holding up the Hamas offer. The Yediot Ahronot daily reported that Netanyahu ordered an investigation, fueling speculation that Mossad chief Dan Yatom would be asked to resign.

Hussein said Wednesday that two days before the attack on Hamas strategist Khalid Mashaal he sent a message to Netanyahu saying the militant group was willing to stop attacks in Israel under some conditions.

“I addressed a letter to the prime minister of Israel to tell him that there is a possibility to discuss establishing a dialogue between Hamas and them,” Hussein said.

The king’s decision to address the matter publicly suggested that he was not pleased with claims by Netanyahu’s aides that the Israeli leader was given the message several hours after the attack had been carried out.

When asked about the king’s remarks, Netanyahu insisted Wednesday that the offer was revealed to him only after the botched assassination. The Israeli leader also said he did not know how serious the offer was and whether it was made by Hamas as a group or only one of its factions.

Later, the prime minister’s office said Hussein and Netanyahu spoke by telephone, and that the monarch “reiterated that he wanted to work together with Prime Minister Netanyahu to rebuild the relationship between Israel and Jordan and to promote the peace process.”

Israel’s dovish opposition charged that a committee appointed by Netanyahu on Monday to investigate the decision-making process that led to the assassination effort has not been given sufficient power to uncover the truth.

The three-member panel has no authority to subpoena witnesses and its recommendations are not binding.

Two members are senior civil servants dependent on the government for their jobs and the third is on the record as having supported Netanyahu’s decision to target Mashaal, said Labor legislator Haim Ramon.

“The prime minister is nominating the people who have to investigate him and who are part of the government or were appointed to their present offices by the government,” Ramon told The Associated Press.

A poll published in the Yediot Ahronot daily said 55 percent of 503 respondents believe the panel would not be able to sort out what actually happened. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.