Rice: Arabs not aiding Palestinians enough

BRUSSELS, March 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chided Arab countries that participated in 2007's Israeli-Palestinian peace talks for not offering enough support.

Rice also said Palestinian and Israeli officials assured her they "intend to resume negotiations," suspended over violence in the Gaza Strip, The Washington Times reported Thursday.

"The Arabs who have said they want a process, who have said they want the United States involved, who came to Annapolis (Md.), are going to need to find ways to support the process going forward," Rice told reporters while traveling from Israel to Brussels to attend a NATO ministers conference.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said he is negotiating with Israel on behalf of all Palestinians and the Palestinian state would include the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas, the militant group controlling Gaza, opposes Abbas' efforts.

Abbas suspended talks with Israel because of Israel's military action against Hamas in Gaza in response to rocket attacks. Although he earlier resisted pressure from Rice to resume negotiations until the violence ends, Abbas yielded Wednesday.

"Negotiation is a strategic choice that the Palestinians have taken," she said. "This is not a gift to the United States or a gift to Israel."