Representatives of the Quartet, the four international players trying to outline a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are meeting in Sharm A-Sheikh on Sunday in a bid to push forward the peace process before U.S. President George W. Bush’s term ends in January.
Officials from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia will meet in the Egyptian resort to assess their progress up until now.
They also want to ensure that talks will continue after general elections take place in Israel in February.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and head of the Palestinian negotiating team Ahmad Qurei’ will brief the participants on their progress.
Bush wants to hammer out a final agreement before his term ends, and leave a positive legacy regarding the Middle East peace process.
However, observers are skeptical that any agreement will be finalized before January, especially since the Israeli and Palestinian leaders do not enjoy wide support from the public.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will not remain in office after the elections in February and the Palestinians might also be heading for elections for the chairmanship in early 2008.
In the meantime, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is arriving in the region on Thursday. She is meeting with high-level Israeli and Palestinian officials before continuing on Saturday to Sharm A-Sheikh, where she will attend the Quartet meeting.
Rice has been to the region numerous times this year, but this will be her first trip in the transition period between the U.S. elections and U.S. president-elect Barack Obama’s assumption of power in January.
The secretary’s visit coincides with a flare-up in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian armed groups.
The Israeli army killed six armed Palestinians on Tuesday night after uncovering a tunnel that Israel said was intended to be used for launching attacks against Israelis and abducting Israeli soldiers.
Israel insists the operation was pinpointed and was not intended to violate a fragile truce agreed upon in June.
However, Hamas has vowed revenge and has launched dozens of rockets and mortar shells on Israeli communities since Wednesday morning.
All crossings linking Israel to Gaza have been closed.
Israel’s air force attacked a rocket-launching cell in northern Gaza on Wednesday night and killed a member of the Islamic Jihad, Israel Radio reported on Thursday.
Israeli officials are stressing that the recent incidents in Gaza are localized and “necessary” due to intelligence information, and that there is no intention of expanding operations beyond specifically defined boundaries.
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