The sides are discussing the situation in the Palestinian territories following the violent takeover of Gaza by the radical Islamist group Hamas two weeks ago and the establishment of an emergency government by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Jordan's King Abdullah II, leader of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas, and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gathered for the summit in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea in response to last week's invitation by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Earlier, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the main aim of the mooted summit was to give added momentum to relations between the Israelis and Palestinians, and to foster an atmosphere that promoted the resumption of the peace process.
"We hope that the summit will contribute to the resumption of the peace process and to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians," the minister said, adding that agreements reached at the summit will be obligatory for all Palestinians regardless of their political affiliations.
Since the beginning of the month, at least 115 people have been killed and hundreds injured in armed clashes between Hamas and the pro-presidential Fatah movement.
President Abbas, who now controls only the West Bank, dismissed the Hamas-led government, and his new emergency Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, has received the backing of most Western nations and of the more moderate Arab states.
