Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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Israeli PM Says No US-Israeli Recognition of New Palestinian
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=164C994:A6F02AD83191E160A30B34606A5B10359574F7DCC14957C0 But Secretary Rice
says no decision had been made yet about boycotting new government,
because it has yet to be formed







U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas, center left, smile following their meeting in the West
Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, 18 Feb. 2007U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice met separately with Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before a summit Monday
between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.  VOA's Jim Teeple reports
from Jerusalem, Israel's prime minister says he and President Bush
have agreed to boycott a new Palestinian government, if it does not
recognize Israel.  

Secretary Rice met with President Abbas for about two hours Sunday,
but a news conference that was scheduled to follow their talks was
canceled, and the participants left the meeting without making a
comment. 

Before their talks, Rice said the two would discuss the Palestinian
power-sharing agreement between Mr. Abbas' Fatah movement and Hamas
that is supposed to result in the formation of a unity government
within several weeks.  In brief remarks, she expressed hope that a
summit between Mr. Abbas and Ehud Olmert on Monday might east
tensions.

"I hope that this meeting with the three of us will be an opportunity
to examine the current situation, and to recommit to existing
agreements, but also to begin to explore and probe the political and
diplomatic horizon. And, I very much look forward to that meeting,"
Rice says.

Secretary Rice has referred to her current trip as taking place in a
complicated time, downplaying expectations of any breakthrough to
revive Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

She comes to Israel and the Palestinian territories several days after
Mr. Abbas and Hamas leaders agreed to form a unity government - but
one led by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. 

That agreement follows a Saudi-mediated power-sharing agreement
between Hamas and Mr. Abbas' Fatah movement designed to end factional
fighting and create a government that could bring an end to
international sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, imposed because
of the Hamas refusal to recognize Israel. 







Israeli PM Ehud Olmert

Israeli officials say the emerging unity Palestinian government is
unacceptable, because it does meet the three conditions required by
Israel and the so-called Middle East Peace Quartet for recognition. 
The Quartet is made up of the United States, the European Union,
Russia, and the United Nations.



Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the new government
must recognize Israel, renounce violence and respect past peace
agreements. 

Mr. Olmert says he and President Bush spoke by telephone, and agreed
to boycott any new government that does not meet those demands. 

Secretary Rice said Saturday that the new Palestinian government must
meet international conditions for recognition, but no decision has
been made yet about boycotting it, because the government has yet to
be formed. 




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