By SPA,
Ramallah, West Bank : U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the year-end goal for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is still achievable.
And she urged Israel not to prejudice a final deal _ a reference to continued Israeli settlement activity, the Associated Press reported.
Rice is in the Middle East on her latest mission to boost troubled peace talks. At a news conference in the West Bank on Sunday, she said Israel wasn’t doing enough to improve life for West Bank residents. The territory is broken up by hundreds of roadblocks that cripple travel and hurt the economy.
Some of the roadblocks are no more than dirt mounds, while others are full-fledged military checkpoints. Rice says removing them is more an issue of quality than quantity.
Both Israel and the Palestinians have expressed skepticism about reaching a deal by the end of the year.