Meanwhile, Secretary of State of Condoleezza Rice wrapped up her visit to the Middle East with a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah Tuesday. Hundreds of people gathered outside Abbas’ compound to protest the US support for Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. In Gaza, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said the US government is backing aggression.

• Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh: “In the name of the Palestinian government, we would like to express our condemnation of the prior American stances, which has granted the Israeli occupation a green light to continue with their aggression on the Palestinian people as well as the Lebanese people.”

Secretary Rice said she has reached an agreement with Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Lebanon. But the Lebanese newspaper the Daily Star is reporting Israeli warships forbade a French vessel loaded with humanitarian aid from reaching a port in Lebanon.