Word: rice
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...until now, Rice has not spearheaded any ambitious new diplomatic initiatives in the manner of the predecessors she admires, such as George Marshall, Dean Acheson and Henry Kissinger. But a Palestinian-Israeli peace could transform her legacy. Rice has told friends in Washington that she sees her latest trip to the region as the beginning of a prolonged, personal effort to achieve a breakthrough...
...Rice and Livni discussed their new approach in Washington in early December, and since then they have had frequent phone conversations. Their strategy is to put aside the step-by-step road map, which requires that the Palestinians dismantle their terrorist infrastructure before any new phase of negotiations begins, and instead leap right to final-status talks with moderate Palestinians about what a two-state solution would look like. If a suitable framework for a Palestinian state is reached, Abbas would then go to his people with a referendum: Do you want it or not? He is convinced that more...
...Both Rice and Livni face hard-liners in their governments who want to stick to the road map and make any movement on the peace process contingent on the Palestinians halting terrorism and cease-fire violations. But that gives Hamas veto power over all progress and could require Israel to occupy the West Bank indefinitely. "The principle of two nation-states is not only an Israeli gift to the Palestinians but a promotion of Israel's interests," Livni says...
...pursuing a two-state framework now. To White House visitors he has provided his own savvy analysis of Olmert's precarious political situation and how both Olmert and Abbas need a breakthrough. Left unspoken is that Bush could use one as well. That is why he is sending Rice to make such an effort...
...Palestinian-Israeli peace will not solve America's woes in Iraq, of course. But Rice and Livni believe it could serve a broader strategic goal. They see the primary divide in the Middle East as being between the forces of moderation and those of extremism. The rise of Iran and its extremist clients has created a potential alliance among moderate Palestinians, Israelis and the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the gulf states. "There is a growing understanding among the Israelis, Palestinians and the moderate Arab nations that the real threat is Iran and the radicalism it supports...