Condaleeza Rice to the Rescue?

BBC news has a story today in which President Mahmoud Abbas is asking for a calm to the violence in the region. Violence has escalated between both sides of the conflict this past week. A huge amount of Palestinian rockest have been flying into Israeli towns which in turn increased the amount of Israeli counterstrikes.

To say that the tensions are high is an understatement, but many leaders are calling for a calming period. Mahmoud Abbas is asking for the Palestinian people to stop the violence in order to open the door to peace talks. Really it seems that he is talking directly to the Hamas militants and other radicals who are perpetually fighting. Condoleezaa Rice has also made a trip to the region asking both sides to halt the violence and come to a peaceful agreement.

The leaders of Hamas still reject any agreement of a ceasefire because they claim Israel is reponsible for the violence. They still do not recognize the fact that their rocket attacks stir up violent responses from Israel. I think Condoleezza Rice and pressure from other countries for a peace agreement can help the situation.