JERUSALEM — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday that she will ask Israel to remove more physical barriers erected in the West Bank as a bulwark against Palestinian militants.
The Bush administration also would like to see speedier progress toward a political settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, a goal of President Bush in his final year in office, Rice said en route to Israel and the West Bank for weekend meetings.
Bush’s top diplomat said it is too early for pessimism, despite a lack of accomplishment in talks Bush began with lofty ideals five months ago. Rice suggested she will lean on Israel to yank West Bank roadblocks that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says strangle the Palestinian economy.
“I understand that everyone — President Abbas, I, the president — would like to see things move more quickly,” Rice said. “That’s why we keep coming and pressing all the parties to meet their obligations.”
Palestinians complain that Israel has played bait-and-switch — removing tiny barriers and calling them roadblocks or only partially dismantling obstacles after pledging to pull them down.
The Associated Press
