Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told visiting American Congressional leader Nancy Pelosi Monday that peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) "cannot change the situation in Gaza." She told the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, "The Gaza Strip is on its way to becoming a regional problem, hindering any possibility of reaching a comprehensive agreement." 

The Foreign Minister warned that Hamas has the same destabilizing influence in Gaza as Hizbullah does in Lebanon. The House Speaker is leading a delegation of 13 Congressmen who are in Israel to participate in Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations.