Instability of Israel Government Forces Cancellation of Visit

[Christina]

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has cancelled a trip to Israel planned for next week due to the unstable political situation in Israel, the Foreign Ministry confirmed late Monday night. Rice was scheduled to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders following a stop-off in Moscow. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday that the cancellation would not get in the way of US efforts to move forward with Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. "It's a change in plans, yes," McCormack admitted, but added that the US would "continue efforts to advance the Israeli-Palestinian track." "The political situation in Israel has become a bit more complex in the near term," said McCormack. Tension has risen between government officials following the release of the Winograd's interim report into the Second Lebanon War. Many government officials have called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to step down. On Thursday, 150,000 people participated in a mass demonstration at Tel Aviv's Rabin Square in an attempt to get Olmert and his government to resign.