Quds city, June 19, SPA -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday that her meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders convinced her that both sides share a commitment to ensuring Israel's upcoming withdrawal from Gaza takes place smoothly and peacefully. Rice spoke at a news conference after two days of meetings with top officials from both sides intended to spur cooperation on the withdrawal. "Israel and the Palestinian Authority share a commitment to ensure that disengagement happens smoothly, without violence," she said. If the withdrawal from Gaza and four settlements in the northern West Bank can be accomplished in an orderly way, it can build trust between the two sides that can create better conditions for peace efforts after the pullout, she said. Both the Israelis and Palestinians agree that the homes in the Gaza Strip settlements should be destroyed when Israel pulls out this summer, and they will need to work together to figure out how that will happen, Rice said. "The parties agree that they have to work this out in a cooperative way," she said. "The view is that there are better land use possibilities for the Palestinians that can better address their housing needs." But she said the two sides still have to discuss what to do with the greenhouses and other commercial assets the Israelis have built in the settlements.
