Palestinian leadership deal clouds talks
U.S. and Israeli dissatisfaction with a Palestinian power-sharing deal clouded talks Monday among Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israel’s prime minister and the Palestinian president, but Washington’s top diplomat said she wanted to inject some hope by addressing the outlines of a peace deal. The meeting got off to a lackluster start that matched the low expectations that preceded it. Rice, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert clasped their hands together and flashed polite smiles for the cameras in a hotel conference room. Full Story