Mediators try to end Jordan and Hamas standoff

Arab mediators are trying to defuse tensions between Jordan and Hamas after the Palestinian organization allegedly plotted attacks in the kingdom, a Jordanian government spokesman said Monday. Jordan said last month it had discovered a large weapons cache and arrested more than 20 Hamas activists planning attacks against public officials and institutions - a charge denied by the militant Islamic Hamas group, which now heads the Palestinian government. "Several Arab sides are mediating between Jordan and Hamas to end the so-called crisis," government spokesman Nasser Judeh said. He did not identify which Arab sides were involved or how the discussions were being conducted.