Word: rice
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...Frankly, it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state.' CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. Secretary of State, after Israel's Prime Minister openly showed readiness to share control of Jerusalem with Palestine...
...position reflects his political reality. It would be politically perilous for Olmert, still enjoying the approval of no more than a quarter of Israelis, to commit himself on such hot-button issues while Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party waits to pounce on any perceived misstep. That has forced Rice to wade neck-deep into Israeli politics, meeting with two key conservative faction leaders in Olmert's coalition - Eli Yishai of the Shas Party and Avigdor Lieberman of Yisreal Beitenu, who have warned Olmert that they would bolt if he goes too far on any of the final status issues...
...Palestinian negotiators watched these developments with alarm. Rice later sought to reassure Abbas, telling him, "It is time for the establishment of a Palestinian state," and pledging that "we are not going to tire until I have given my last ounce of energy and my last moment in office" to that effort. But doubts linger about what she can deliver, and even about the wisdom of going to Annapolis when failure could cost Abbas what little support he has left...
...told TIME. He claims the Americans are not living up to previous assurances that there would a specific document, that some West Bank checkpoints would be lifted, and that settlement construction would be frozen, at least temporarily, to give Abbas political cover. (A State Department spokesman tells TIME that "Rice is considering a broad range of issues, including settlements," and that "the U.S. urges all parties to avoid actions that might prejudice final status negotiations...
...More than a few American diplomats have failed where Rice now treads, and her task is even harder now, when years have been lost, leaders on both sides have been weakened, and U.S. influence in the region has begun to wane. Even if she is able to get everyone to Annapolis, if the conference is perceived to be a failure, the very moderate forces in the Arab world that Washington has been trying to bolster will, instead, be further weakened. As she works against expectations on all sides to produce a conference that moves the conflict closer...