WASHINGTON, 4 January 2006 — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has promised to get more deeply involved in promoting Arab-Israeli peace, is expected to travel to the region early this month.
There are unconfirmed reports that she will leave at the end of this week, but State Department has yet to confirm her travel plans.
Whenever she does get there, Secretary Rice is expected to meet with both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Part of the Bush administration’s focus seems to be to boost Abbas, and to promote the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the US Secretary of State, said last week Rice would travel to the region to “devote a lot of time, energy and focus” to forging a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Secretary Rice last met the two leaders on her visit in November to prepare them to meet each other as part of the American effort to advance its Roadmap plan toward a Palestinian state.
The visit may pressure both Israel and the PA to conclude negotiations on releasing kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit and hundreds of jailed Palestinian prisoners.
Analysts say both leaders are too weak to make the sacrifices necessary to pursue serious peace talks, which would include talks over the divisive issues of Jerusalem, final borders for a Palestinian state and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
International criticism last week of Israel’s decision to establish a new West Bank settlement has led to rumblings that the decision might be reconsidered, and it is believed Rice will address the issue with the Israelis.
US State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said last week that “the establishment of a new settlement or the expansion of an existing settlement would violate Israel’s obligations under the road map.”
On Monday, Israeli Defense Ministry sources were cited saying that Defense Minister Amir Peretz is reconsidering the decision, and that discussions within the government are also taking place about whether to go ahead with the project, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Secretary Rice will have her hands full when she meets with the Israelis, as Israeli settlers are continuing to place mobile homes and trailers in West Bank outposts and settlements without legal permits, according to the Israeli organization Peace Now.
Aerial photographs taken by Peace Now reveal at least 16 of these new mobile homes were added to the illegal outpost of Amona in the second half of the year.
Amona was the site of clashes in February 2006, when Israeli military and police forces demolished nine illegally built homes.
