OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that he hopes to hold a long-delayed meeting with Mahmoud Abbas in the coming days, but ruled out releasing prisoners or offering other goodwill gestures to the Palestinian president until a captured Israeli soldier is freed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday announced plans to visit the Middle East next week to try to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace moves but analysts doubt she will make much headway. Rice will leave Washington on Sunday and plans to visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel and …

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s prime minister said Thursday he did not expect another fight with Hizbollah soon, amid stalled talks on a timetable for the Jewish state to withdraw its remaining troops from Lebanon. “The chances that Hizbollah would be persuaded to mount in the short term a major …