Condoleezza Rice

     Strategic Affairs Minister, Avigdor Lieberman who delivered to Rice the hard facts: it is only a matter of time, he said, until the next military operation in Gaza. Lieberman argued for international military involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If the IDF is forced into such an action this time, Lieberman said, the IDF would not pull out until the deployment of 30,000 NATO troops to ensure the area remains peaceful and quiet. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni affirmed their commitment to the road map as the best way. Both Rice and Livni spoke of the importance of a two-state solution.  After Rice met with Israel’s security officials, she sat with Foreign Minister Tzipy Livni, who went directly to the point: “security for Israelis everywhere, in bombarded Sderot as well. Livni said:"the elections in the Palestinian Authority have made matters more complicated. Our responsibility is to give the Palestinians a political horizon as well as to provide safety to Israelis in Sderot. I want to personally thank the U.S. Secretary of State for her determination and understanding,”(09,59)