Middle East

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05 March 2008
Rice Says Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks To Resume

By Merle D. Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington –- There are always enemies of peace who try to hold the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks hostage, but that simply can not be permitted when peace, security and prosperity for the Palestinian people are at stake, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

See also:
 • Rice, Palestinian Authority President Abbas Press Availability
 • Remarks by Secretary Rice, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni

"Hamas, which in effect, holds the people of Gaza hostage ... is now trying to make the path to a Palestinian state hostage to them. And we cannot permit that to happen," she says.

After talks in Cairo, Egypt, with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and in the West Bank town of Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over the past two days, Rice announced in Jerusalem March 5 that talks between the Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators would resume shortly. "I've been informed by the parties that they intend to resume the negotiations and that they are in contact with one another as to how to bring this about," she said during a briefing with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

In addition, the secretary announced she is sending Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch back to Cairo for further discussions with Egyptian officials about how to improve the situation.

In Ramallah, Abbas announced in a statement that "the peace process is a strategic choice and we have the intention of resuming the peace process," according to the Associated Press.

Abbas did not say when talks would resume, but Rice said she is sending Lieutenant General William Fraser in the week ahead to assist the peacemaking process. Fraser was appointed in January by President Bush to monitor both sides' compliance with the Middle East peace process road map, which has helped form the basis for the current talks.

The peace talks, which were launched after the November 2007 Annapolis Conference in the United States, stalled in recent days after Israel used military force in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas controls, to stop rocket attacks from there into Israeli towns.

The secretary said Israel has the right to defend itself against these attacks, but she reiterated the U.S. position that innocent people should not be caught in the crossfire.

"The rocket attacks against Israel ought to stop. And as I've said, as Israel defends itself, Israel also needs to be very careful about innocent people who get caught in the crossfire, about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza," she said.

Efforts to broker a cease-fire between Hamas and the Israelis had been discussed with Palestinian President Abbas, Rice said, but it is not a condition for resumption of the peace talks.

"I've also talked a lot about the importance of continuing negotiations because, ultimately, the answer to many of these problems has to be given in the solution that Annapolis put forward, which is two states living side by side in peace and security," she said.

Rice said that Welch will discuss with Egyptian officials the situation in the Gaza Strip that was created when Hamas illegally seized control there. "That means security issues, it means humanitarian issues, it means trying to do something about the tunnels which continue to be a problem," she said.

Israel and Egypt have their own direct contacts, she said, and the United States is not trying to broker a separate deal, but is trying to have all parties in discussions.

Rice left Jerusalem for Brussels, Belgium, March 5 for meetings at NATO headquarters, closing out the Middle East portion of her trip.

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