U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived at Israel Saturday night to give another push for the sluggish peace process between the Jewish state and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Upon her arrival at Tel Aviv, Rice slashed Israel's latest announcement of a plan to build 1,300 houses for Jewish settlers in east Jerusalem, saying the "problem" is "simply not helpful to building confidence" between Israel and the PNA.

Rice added that she will discuss with every Israeli official she sees the new expansion plan, which brings to over 3,000 the number of houses Israel has greenlighted for construction in the portion of the Holy City, which Palestinians claim as their future capital, since the renewal of the peace talks late last year.

During her sixth visit this year to the area, the U.S. top diplomat is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem and visit the occupied West Bank for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Rice also plans to hold two three-way meetings, one with the chief negotiators from the two sides, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, and the other with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Little significant progress has so far been achieved since Olmert and Abbas revived the peace talks at a U.S.-sponsored conference last November after a seven-year breakoff and pledged to strike a comprehensive peace agreement within 2008.

Pessimism is rising about the realization of this ambitious goal as the peace talks are overshadowed by the bloody violence in and around the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the Jewish settlement expansions in the West Bank, and the latest legal battle of Olmert that could force him to leave office.

Earlier this week, Fayyad said he believed it would be impossible to reach a peace deal with Israel this year, citing Israel's settlement expansion as a major obstacle, an issue Abbas is expected to stress when he meet with Rice.

However, U.S. President George W. Bush remains upbeat, saying on Friday that "I firmly believe that, with leadership and courage, a peace agreement is possible this year."

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2008)