Secretary Rice in Thursday Meetings with Palestinians, Israelis

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met on Thursday with Palestinian and Israeli leaders. She was originally scheduled to meet only with the Palestinians as a side-trip while attending a conference in Jordan, but the advent of a ceasefire between Israeli and Palestinian forces in the Gaza Strip last Sunday opened the door to the possibility of moving peace prospects along. After meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas in Jericho, Rice traveled to Jerusalem to tell Prime Minister Olmert that the Bush administration wants a series of Israeli concessions to bolster ‘Abbas’s standing. The Secretary also tried to expand the ceasefire to include areas outside of Gaza, according to media reports.