Rice to visit again
U.S. secretary of state expected to arrive in Israel, PA in about two weeks, official says; meanwhile, U.S. showing signs of shifting attitude on Hamas
U.S. President George W. Bush last month announced that Rice would travel to the region to consult Palestinian and Israeli officials before the Israeli withdrawal from all 21
Jewish settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition that he not be named, did not provide details on the trip, which is likely to focus on whether Palestinian security forces will be ready to assume control when Israel begins its pullout in August.
‘This is a hopeful time’
Rice already visited Israel this year, in early February, shortly after she was sworn in as secretary of state. At that time, she said that Israel has some hard decisions to make as it moves toward peace with the Palestinians and the creation of a neighboring democracy.
"This is a hopeful time, but it is a time also of great responsibility for all of us to make certain that we act on the words that we speak,” she said.
U.S. shifting attitude on Hamas?
Meanwhile, the Bush administration is showing signs of easing its hard-line approach toward Hamas, in response to the group's rising political clout in the Palestinian territories and appeals for flexibility from European allies, officials and diplomats said.
The White House acceded to Hamas running candidates in Palestinian elections, even though it has refused to disarm and Washington lists it as a major terrorist organization.
Officials said they may be open to contacts with some Hamas political affiliates and left open the possibility of dealing with the group if it gave up weapons and ended violence, in contrast to past calls for its total dismantlement.
U.S. officials and diplomats cast any shift as pragmatic: Hamas-funded social services are popular with many Palestinians; it is winning local races and was expected to make a strong showing in newly postponed parliamentary elections, and some Hamas-backed politicians and affiliates are seen as moderates.
