(Reuters) Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confronted critics within his own party who fear he may concede too much to Palestinians and urged them on Thursday to seize an opportunity to make peace after 60 years of conflict.
Addressing his centrist Kadima party hours after the latest round of meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Olmert said he would free more Palestinian prisoners as part of "measured gestures" toward President Mahmoud Abbas as they try to agree terms for a U.S.-sponsored peace conference.
Rice said Olmert and Abbas had come a "very, very long way" since she hosted a frosty meeting between them last February in Jerusalem and she was optimistic Palestinians and Israelis would agree to a joint document on the tough issues that divide them before the conference.
"There is clearly a kind of focus and commitment on the part of both of the leaders as well as the people who are working most closely with them to try and get this document done," Rice told reporters before a refueling stop in Shannon.
During a 36-hour diplomatic push, she assured Abbas the gathering penciled in for November near Washington should put the Palestinians firmly on the path to statehood.
Olmert has been accused in Israel, even by some allies, of preparing to achieve that by handing over parts of Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, known to Israelis as Judea and Samaria.
In remarks going to the heart of problems all Israeli leaders have faced in winning support for peace moves, Olmert told a noisy party conference: "I know the reigning opinion in some circles is that we need to wait ... that we mustn't rush or nurture an atmosphere that will lead to serious negotiations