Peres's contacts to bring ease to Jeilo settlement, Beit jala

The Israeli foreign minister on Wednesday made several contacts with world leaders in an attempt to restore back calm to Jeilo settlement and to Beit Jala, according to a statement for the Israeli foreign ministry.

In its statement, the ministry said that Peres made telephone calls during day time with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the secretary general of the UN Kofi Annan, the Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov, the French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine and the German foreign minister Yushka Fischer.

In its statement, the Israeli foreign ministry claimed that the Israeli army is ready to pull back out of Beit Jala but only after the halting of what it called opening fire at Jeilo settlement. It said that the international leaders have to ask for that.

However, in its statement, Israel tries to say that the Palestinians are the side which opens fire and not its soldiers who are occupying the Beit Jala town and bombarding it.