US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to Israel and the West Bank this month for her first talks with the Palestinians since Hamas was ousted from government, according to dpa. Rice departs July 16 for discussions with Israeli officials in Jerusalem and Palestinian officials in Ramallah before heading to Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal during the five-day trip. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ousted Hamas from the government after the militant group seized control of the Gaza Strip last month. The United States announced plans to restore millions of dollars in direct aid to the Palestinian government that had been prohibited because Hamas was designated as a terrorist organization. The United States is hopeful that progress can be made in the peace process by dealing with Abbas' Fatah party.
