by Ari Rabinovitch Israel props up Abbas ahead of summit

JERUSALEM - Israel yesterday stepped up efforts to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of next week's Middle East peace conference as U.S. President George W. Bush made more calls to Middle East leaders. Israel approved a shipment of ammunition and 25 armoured trucks to Mr. Abbas's security forces in the West Bank, where his Fatah faction is dominant. Fatah lost control of the Gaza Strip in June to Hamas Islamists opposed to his peace moves. Hamas's Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades branded the shipment a "Zionist gift" and accused Palestinian security services in the occupied West Bank of collaborating with Israel. Israel, which controls the Gaza Strip's borders, also announced that flower and strawberry exports could resume from the impoverished territory to Europe. The shipments bring in $25-million a year and were suspended after Israel declared the Gaza Strip an enemy entity in September. With the Nov. 27 conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., fast approaching, Israeli and Palestinian teams were still trying to draft a document that would address, in general terms, issues such as borders and the futures of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees. However Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. Secretary of State, said the conference will be a success if it simply opens negotiations toward a Palestinian state, even without a statement on the so-called final-status issues. "The success of this meeting is really in the launch of negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians for the establishment of a Palestinian state and, therefore, a two-state solution," Ms. Rice said. "It was not absolutely clear that Annapolis would launch negotiations until a couple of weeks ago." The United States said it has invited about 40 countries -- including Syria and Saudi Arabia, which have no relations with Israel -- to the meeting. An aide to Mr. Abbas said Mr. Bush telephoned the Palestinian leader and reiterated "his commitment to support the peace process." The aide said Mr. Bush described the conference as "a chance to identify a clear shape of a Palestinian state." Preparing for the conference at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md., Mr. Bush also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. The U.S. administration is eager to produce a Middle East peace accord before Mr. Bush, faced with the legacy of an unpopular war in Iraq, leaves office in January, 2009.

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