Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that President Bush secretly endorsed Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, even though the so-called “peace plan” officially calls for a freeze of the illegal Jewish settlements which Israel plans on keeping.

According to Ariel Sharon’s former chief of staff, Dov Weisglass, Secretary Rice also secretly reaffirmed White House approval of West Bank settlement expansion right before Israel dismantled its settlements in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s settlement withdrawal from occupied Gaza was seen as an attempt to solidify its hold over the West Bank.

US officials are denying the Israeli claim of a secret agreement as illegitimate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in Washington today to meet Bush administration officials. Abbas has previously criticized the US for not blocking Israeli settlement activity.

Meanwhile in Gaza, the illegal Israeli blockade may halt UN shipments to the territory:

The UN is warning it could be forced to suspend humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip today because of the Israeli blockade. The United Nations Works and Relief Agency is responsible for feeding nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s 1.4 million people. Agency officials say they expect trucks to run out of fuel this afternoon. Israel has intensified military attacks and economic isolation of the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control last June. Hamas, meanwhile, says it’s awaiting an Israeli response to its latest offer of a ceasefire in the Occupied Territories.

source