Condoleezza Rice flew in from Saudi Arabi on the fourth leg of a regional tour as Palestinian officials appealed for the re-opening of the Gaza-Egypt border, which has remained closed since the withdrawal of Jewish settlements on September 12.
Addressing a conference in Jerusalem, Ms Rice said peace was a ‘realistic’ possibility if responsibilities were taken seriously by both sides.
“If Palestinians fight terrorism and lawless violence, and advance democratic reform, and if Israel takes no actions to pre-judge a final settlement and works to improve the daily lives of the Palestinian people, the possibility of peace is both hopeful and realistic,” Ms Rice told the gathering.
Palestinian authorities have been called on to stamp out anti-Israeli violence, however, Israel has also been asked by the US to step up its efforts.
In particular, the Secretary of State said her talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would focus on pushing forward commitments made at a February summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Along with a ceasefire deal and agreements to release Palestinian prisoners and free-up roadblocks, Israel outlined the eventual hand back of six West Bank towns.
The timing of the West Bank handovers will also be a matter for discussion with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas when Ms Rice meets him in Ramallah tomorrow.
Ms Rice is expected to demand improved Palestinian security as a premise for the return of the towns.
“I think the prior issue is, can we get Palestinian security forces to a point that they can reliably provide security. And so, I’ll probably spend more time on that,” she said.
Also of concern for the US and Israel are preparations for Palestinian parliamentary elections in January.
For the first time, the Islamic militant group Hamas is preparing to run in the poll where it stands to challenge Mr Abbas’s mainstream Fatah movement.
Israel and the US have each taken a firm stand against Hamas’ participation, insisting the group must disarm before being permitted to take on a political role.
“Dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism is essential to peace because in the final analysis, no democratic government can tolerate armed parties with one foot in the realm of politics and one foot in the camp of terrorism,” Ms Rice told the conference.
Peretz threatens early elections
The new leader of Israel’s Labour Party Amir Peretz has threatened to back a bill to dissolve parliament as pressure mounts for the prime minister to call new elections.
“I have no intention of letting Sharon play the political scene as if it were his private hunting ground. With all the respect I have for him, this era is over,” Mr Peretz told Israeli television.
Since taking over Labour’s reins in a defeat of Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres on November 10, Mr Peretz has wasted no time in stamping his claim on the party’s leadership.
National Religious Party MP Zevulun Orlev will submit a bill to parliament on November 16 which calls for the dissolution of parliament.
Should Labour follow through with its threat to support the bill, a swing vote would tip the balance away from Mr Sharon.