Powell to visit Israel and West Bank today
The US Secretary of State Colin Powell is paying a flying visit to Israel and the West Bank today in an attempt to rescue the faltering Roadmap peace plan.
Mr Powell will hold talks with both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas to try and persuade them to implement the plan despite the escalating violence since the Roadmap was launched a month ago.
About 60 people have been killed in the conflict since then. Yesterday hundreds of Jewish settlers wrestled with Israeli soldiers who were tearing down the first inhabited outpost in the West Bank to be removed in line with the demands of the plan. Despite court rulings, the closure of Jewish outposts had been put on hold because of the latest violence.
Mr Powell has played down his visit and said that there will be no ‘big event’, explaining ‘tomorrow is another day, not anything special’. But he did indicate that he saw some signs of progress in talks between the two sides.
Early yesterday a Palestinian suicide bomber killed the elderly owner of a grocery store in a northern farming community. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
