US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she has been "encouraged" by talks during her tour of the Middle East despite "tensions" between Israelis and Palestinians.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has ended four days of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East with no sign of a breakthrough on a peace agreement.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice won tempered Egyptian support in her quest to nudge Israelis and Palestinians closer together ahead of a Mideast peace conference to be held in November or December.

First lady Laura Bush is headed for the Middle East this month, the White House announced Monday, to promote awareness on breast cancer treatment and screening.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Israeli leaders at the start of her latest Middle East tour, but warned she did not expect a major peace breakthrough ahead of a US-sponsored meeting next month.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played down expectations for breakthroughs as she opened a critical round of Mideast shuttle diplomacy on Sunday and warned Israel against moves that might erode confidence in the process.

Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged Islamic countries to boycott November's U.S.-sponsored international conference on the Middle East.

A senior Palestinian official says there is serious progress in new peace talks with Israel. But as Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the Islamic militant group Hamas could sabotage the process.

Jerusalem is emerging as a major stumbling block in new peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, both Jews and Muslims are claiming the city's holy sites as their own.

Senior Fatah officials in Palestine have dismissed an announcement by the rival Hamas movement that the two sides will soon hold reconciliation talks.

Middle East envoy Tony Blair has returned to the region for another round of shuttle diplomacy. The visit is part of a stepped-up effort by the international community to revive the peace process.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice begins a trip to Russia and the Middle East next week that will include five days of shuttling among Israeli and Palestinian officials. She will lay groundwork for the international conference on the Middle East being organized by the Bush administration.