The Bush administration is backing Israel’s stance. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Israel Wednesday for talks ahead of a proposed peace conference in November. Rice said the U.S. supports the intensified isolation of Gaza.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: “We will not abandon the innocent Palestinians in Gaza, and indeed we’ll make every effort to deal with their humanitarian needs, and secondly, that Gaza and the West Bank are both constituent entities of the to-be Palestinian state. And so, that is not to say that Gaza is to be separated off somehow and treated as if it is, when the legitimate government of Gaza is ultimately that of the Palestinian Authority. But Hamas is indeed a hostile entity. It’s a hostile entity to the United States, as well.”