US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will
travel to Israel and the West Bank on Sunday for discussions aimed at nudging
along the peace process, the State Department said.
Rice is still seeking a peace agreement between the Israelis and
Palestinians by the end of the year that includes the creation of a Palestinian
state, spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
agreed to a US-hosted Middle East conference in November to complete
negotiations on an accord by the end of 2008.
Olmert has been embroiled in a corruption scandal and has
announced that he will leave his post in September, dpa reported.