The two-state solution is in jeopardy, Condoleezza Rice told a U.S. House committee.
The Annapolis peace conference is needed to give hope to the moderate Palestinians who want peace, the U.S. secretary of state said Wednesday at a hearing of the House foreign affairs committee. She said there is a narrow window of opportunity to bring Israel and the Palestinians together for peace.
Rice also denied that the planned peace conference is a political ploy.
“There are probably easier foreign policy tasks to take on than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she said. “The timing comes down to what it is we need to do to give moderate forces in the region a boost and to deal a blow to forces of extremism.”
Rice’s testimony was interrupted by Iraq war protesters. One woman waved her red-painted hands in front of the secretary’s face; another called Rice a “war criminal.”
Rice will return to Israel and the West Bank in early November for more talks to bring the sides closer together.
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