Jiddah, Saudi Arabia ? Saudi Arabia’s plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is causing a rift among Arabs ahead of a key summit, and an Israeli official said Sunday that its main provision was an unacceptable precondition for talks.

The proposal floated by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah two weeks ago envisions full Arab political, economic and cultural relations with Israel if the Jewish state withdraws from Arab lands it captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Abdullah has said he would try to persuade Arab leaders to adopt his plan at the March 27-28 Arab League summit in Beirut, Lebanon.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi rejected the plan Saturday, saying it was “shocking” and entailed “cheap bargaining.”

In an interview on the influential pan-Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera, Abdul-bary Atwan, editor of the London-based Arabic daily Al-Quds, said the plan constitutes a reward for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. “In my view, it causes more problems for the Arabs,” Atwan said.

Walid al-Tabtabi, a Kuwaiti lawmaker known for his radical Islamic views, described the plan as a “grave strategic mistake.” In a statement published in Sunday’s newspapers, he said he doubted that the Saudi heir apparent would actually accept an Israeli embassy in Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam and its 7th century prophet Muhammad.

Syria, a traditional Saudi ally and foe of Israel, has remained silent. Syrian President Bashar Assad will travel to Saudi Arabia this week for talks on the plan, Saudi media reported Sunday.