American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on the eve of another Middle East visit, is under increasing pressure to direct negotiations between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel following the current impasses. The PA has announced it is calling off talks because of Israel's counterterrorist operations in Gaza.
Secretary Rice is to leave the United States Monday for Egypt, the PA and Israel before arriving in Brussels for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ministerial talks
"Time is running out and we need the United States of America completely involved, to influence the course of discussions, monitor progress, and help bridge the gaps to ensure a final agreement by the end of 2008," Jordanian King Abdullah II recently said in a speech at Princeton University.