U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories later this month before Israel's scheduled withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a U.S. official said late Sunday. President George W. Bush announced that Rice would travel to the region to consult Palestinian and Israeli officials before Israel's disengagement from all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank. The U.S. official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, provided few details on Rice trip, which is expected to be around June 18. A focus of the trip is likely to be on the readiness of Palestinian security forces to assume control of Gaza when Israel begins its withdrawal in August.
