Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking on Sunday told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he has noticed a marked deterioration in the situation in the Middle East since he last visited the region in 1990.

The two met in Jerusalem on Sunday for a 45-minute conference, primarily regarding chances for peace in the region, past agreements and the recent cease-fire.

Hawking, Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, arrived Thursday for a nine-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Hawking, whose visit was originally scheduled last year during the World Year of Physics, will meet with scientists and give several lectures. The British embassy organized the visit to promote scientific cooperation between the nations.

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Earlier Sunday, Hawking met with aspiring scientists at the Bloomfield Science Museum in the capital. He was also due to pay an evening visit to Weizmann Institute at Rehovot.

This is Hawking's fourth visit. On a previous 1988 visit, Hawking was awarded the Wolf Prize in Physics.

Hawking was greeted at Ben-Gurion International Airport on arrival by the British Ambassador to Israel, Tom Phillips.

Next Thursday, Hawking will lecture at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem on "The Origins of the Universe." The lecture will be open to the public.

Hawking is also scheduled to lecture at Ramallah's Bir Zeit University and to hold a video conference with young Palestinian scientists from the West Bank.

Hawking's research focuses on the subject of black holes and the Theory of Relativity. Hoking won international renown with his best-selling book, "A Brief History of Time."