American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters en route to Washington that Israel's agreeing to her demands to remove several roadblocks and checkpoints in Judea and Samaria does not improve life enough for Arabs in the region. She held at least four meetings with Defense Minster Ehud Barak during her two-day visit, and he agreed to several of the demands but declined to make a formal agreement.
She said that American embassy staff will "talk to the people who are trying to get through checkpoints and really get a sense of how the movements and access is working." Secretary Rice is anxious to achieve a formal agreement between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel before the scheduled visit of American President George W. Bush next week.
Israel also refused to agree to freeze all construction in Greater Jerusalem and key Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced during Secretary Rice's last visit that he ordered a halt to new building but later changed his position after threats from the Shas party that it might bolt the coalition government.