For Rice, High-Stakes Shuttle Diplomacy

JERUSALEM, Feb. 18 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday shuttled between meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders, seeking to lay the groundwork for a successful three-way summit Monday in the face of Israeli anger at a new Palestinian government that includes the militant group Hamas.

Rice made it clear she is staking her reputation as secretary of state on her ability to leverage the talks Monday into a new effort at forging a peace that includes not only the two parties but also Arab neighbors.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, met in Ramallah ahead of a three-way summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday. (By Emilio Morenatti -- Associated Press-) On the Road Israelis, Palestinians Appear Determined to Get Equal Treatment from Rice RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb. 18 -- As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attempts to jumpstart peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians at a summit meeting Monday, both Israelis and Palestinians appear determined to want exactly equal treatment. Save & Share Article What's This? Digg Google del.icio.us Yahoo! Reddit