US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the occupied West Bank today for talks with Palestinian leaders seeking deadlines for future statehood talks with Israel.
Palestinian leaders have set the timeframe for a peace deal as a central demand, despite Israeli opposition and no backing from Washington. The standoff is holding up the announcement of a final date for a US-led Middle East conference.
After a day of talks between Ms Rice and Israeli leaders yesterday, it was clear that differences remained with the Palestinians on crafting a document to form the basis for future talks.
Tel Aviv and Washington are playing down expectations for the conference at Annapolis in the United States.
Israeli leaders told Ms Rice, who began her talks in the West Bank with chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurie, they could not agree on any deal unless Israel's security was assured.
She is likely to push that point in her meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the city of Ramallah today.
Ms Rice will also seek to reassure Mr Abbas that Israel will meet its own commitments under the 2003 "road map," which outlines reciprocal steps leading to Palestinian statehood, including a halt to expansion of Jewish settlements.