American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem at this moment, said that both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel are in contact with each other and that negotiations will resume without a ceasefire. She said that terrorists "must stop the rocket attacks against Israel and return to negotiations." Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has publicly stated he will not resume talks with Israel until Prime Minister Ehud Olmert orders a halt to counterterrorist operations.

Secretary Rice, appearing alongside Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, said that Gaza Arabs are "hostages" to the situation in Gaza. She also told reporters she is "concerened about improving conditions on the ground in Judea and Samaria" and that talks are scheduled for next Thursday on removing more IDF checkpoints and roadblocks.