Rice Holds Separate Talks with Israeli and Palestinian Leaders

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talk with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (Israel) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Her talks with both sides were in regards to a ceasefire declared in Gaza over this past weekend. She is looking to find a permanent peace agreement in which two countries would be able to live side by side in peace with one another. Rice said:

“Everybody recognizes that the creation of a viable, independent democratic Palestinian state that can live side by side in peace with Israel would be not just a remarkable achievement but a just achievement”

The Prime Minister of Israel said that this is “important step that was likely to both contribute towards calm and advance the peace processes in the region." He continued on urging the Palestinian people and government to move forward with peaceful negotiations and to stop the violence towards the State of Israel.

This is a very important step in the Peace Process, which stopped in 2000 when President Bush took office. Former President Bill Clinton had made significant strides in the region and I think Secretary of State Rice is attempting to pick up where his administration left off.