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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/06/AR2008110600358.html
No Mideast Deal Under Bush, White House Says
[Washington Post] Glenn Kessler - The White House made it official Thursday: There will be no Middle East peace pact on President Bush's watch. "We do not think that it's likely that it would happen before the end of the year," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. Rice made nearly monthly trips to Israel and the Palestinian territories to encourage the two sides in their efforts, though she never appeared to be a hands-on negotiator. But the results were fairly opaque. Israeli and Palestinian officials said the talks were frank and open, but a written outline of an agreement never emerged. The process was hampered by the fact that chief Palestinian negotiator Mahmoud Abbas did not control the territory of Gaza, where nearly half of Palestinians live.