US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has assured Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that Israel can peacefully withdraw from Gaza in a phone conversation that took place during Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's recent visit to Washington.

State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher says Rice told Abbas that Israel's peaceful withdrawal from Gaza and its transition into Palestinian hands has become a major US policy objective.

Tensions in the region had heightened before the call, as Palestine Liberation Organization official Farouk al Kadoumy denounced Israeli threats against al-Aqsa Mosque.

Source: CRI News