The summit came amid international calls for Israel and the Palestinians to make a renewed effort to end their dispute in the interest of stabilising the region in general and Iraq in particular. It also comes ahead of an expected Middle East visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice later this month.

Speaking during a news conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak condemned the Israeli raid in the city of Ramallah hours earlier that killed four Palestinian civilians and wounded 20 others.

The Egyptian president said he voiced his "displeasure" to Olmert for what had just happened and stressed that "Israel's and the region's security would be achieved only by serious endeavours toward peace."

Mubarak, a key mediator between the Palestinians and Israel, also pushed Israel to hold talks with Syria and urged it to pursue peace with the Palestinians despite the rise of the Hamas militant group.

Egypt is eager to broker peace between the Palestinians and Israel, and Mubarak said he would welcome a meeting bringing together himself, Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Significant obstacles block the start of a new peace process, including the continued captivity of an Israeli soldier seized by Hamas-linked militants in June. Egypt has been trying to broker a deal for Cpl. Gilad Shalit's release, and many in Israel waited in vain for a breakthrough at the summit Thursday.