The meeting was first announced by Secretary Rice when she visited the Middle East last month. Its goal is to get some momentum going to the stalled Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic process.
Meanwhile, Abbas is meeting in Mecca with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Hamas Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, hoping to find a solution to end the civil war between Fatah and Hamas. Participants said that they have no choice but to find a solution for a national unity government. Hamas continues to refuse to accept the Quartets' demands - namely, to recognize Israel and previous Israel-PA agreements, and to stop terrorism.
Abbas (Abu Mazen) has rejected the option of an interim PA state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza with temporary borders, but the Feb. 19 talks are likely to focus on this issue. Rice has said the talks would be used as a prelude to the resumption of final settlement negotiations.
The Prime Minister told a group of American Jewish leaders Tuesday night that Israel would negotiate with any PA government that recognizes the State of Israel – even if that government includes the Hamas terrorist organization.
Funding from Western nations to the Hamas-led PA was halted soon after Hamas won control of the government in a landslide victory in January 2006. The money will continue to be frozen, the Quartet says, until Hamas recognizes Israel and accepts its other conditions.
The three-way summit between Olmert, Abbas and Rice has been much anticipated by the international community. Israel is expected to offer far-reaching concessions to the Palestinian Authority, which is ruled by the warring Fatah and Hamas terrorist gangs.
The summit figured prominently on the agenda at a meeting of the Quartet last week in Washington.
In mid-January, after her meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Rice revealed her plans for the three-way summit during a shuttle diplomacy tour of the Middle East. Olmert announced the news at the same time, in a meeting with Knesset Members from his Kadima faction.
Within hours after the announcement, PA Prime Minister and Hamas Chairman Ismail Haniyeh reiterated his terrorist organization’s vow never to recognize the State of Israel. He accused Rice of endangering the entire region with her plans to bring Olmert and Abbas together for the summit.
The region, meanwhile, remains in an uproar due to the increasingly violent struggle between Hamas and Fatah for control of the PA government. Year-long clashes in the streets of Gaza have left scores of dead and wounded.
Arab nations, particularly Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have pressured the two sides to end the violence and come together for unity talks. Previous attempts at forming a coalition failed repeatedly, leading Abbas to call for early elections and armed loyalists of both sides to take their battle back to the streets.
Abbas and Haniyeh were both summoned to Mecca by Saudi Arabian King Abdullah in a last-ditch effort to resolve their differences at the negotiating table.
The two arrived at Islam’s holiest city on Tuesday for talks at Abdullah’s guest palace overlooking the shrine toward which Muslims pray five times a day.
Fatah gang members in Gaza, apparently not expecting any breakthroughs in the dialogue, began stacking sandbags in front of their strongholds and digging trenches in preparations for what may become an all-out civil war amongst the Arabs of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
Meanwhile, Abbas is meeting in Mecca with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Hamas Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, hoping to find a solution to end the civil war between Fatah and Hamas. Participants said that they have no choice but to find a solution for a national unity government. Hamas continues to refuse to accept the Quartets' demands - namely, to recognize Israel and previous Israel-PA agreements, and to stop terrorism.
Abbas (Abu Mazen) has rejected the option of an interim PA state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza with temporary borders, but the Feb. 19 talks are likely to focus on this issue. Rice has said the talks would be used as a prelude to the resumption of final settlement negotiations.
The Prime Minister told a group of American Jewish leaders Tuesday night that Israel would negotiate with any PA government that recognizes the State of Israel – even if that government includes the Hamas terrorist organization.
Funding from Western nations to the Hamas-led PA was halted soon after Hamas won control of the government in a landslide victory in January 2006. The money will continue to be frozen, the Quartet says, until Hamas recognizes Israel and accepts its other conditions.
The three-way summit between Olmert, Abbas and Rice has been much anticipated by the international community. Israel is expected to offer far-reaching concessions to the Palestinian Authority, which is ruled by the warring Fatah and Hamas terrorist gangs.
The summit figured prominently on the agenda at a meeting of the Quartet last week in Washington.
In mid-January, after her meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Rice revealed her plans for the three-way summit during a shuttle diplomacy tour of the Middle East. Olmert announced the news at the same time, in a meeting with Knesset Members from his Kadima faction.
Within hours after the announcement, PA Prime Minister and Hamas Chairman Ismail Haniyeh reiterated his terrorist organization’s vow never to recognize the State of Israel. He accused Rice of endangering the entire region with her plans to bring Olmert and Abbas together for the summit.
The region, meanwhile, remains in an uproar due to the increasingly violent struggle between Hamas and Fatah for control of the PA government. Year-long clashes in the streets of Gaza have left scores of dead and wounded.
Arab nations, particularly Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have pressured the two sides to end the violence and come together for unity talks. Previous attempts at forming a coalition failed repeatedly, leading Abbas to call for early elections and armed loyalists of both sides to take their battle back to the streets.
Abbas and Haniyeh were both summoned to Mecca by Saudi Arabian King Abdullah in a last-ditch effort to resolve their differences at the negotiating table.
The two arrived at Islam’s holiest city on Tuesday for talks at Abdullah’s guest palace overlooking the shrine toward which Muslims pray five times a day.
Fatah gang members in Gaza, apparently not expecting any breakthroughs in the dialogue, began stacking sandbags in front of their strongholds and digging trenches in preparations for what may become an all-out civil war amongst the Arabs of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.