JERUSALEM, Nov. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom began a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Jerusalem on Monday morning.

    Rice affirmed her intention to continue working with Israel and the Palestinians toward a two-state solution under the US-sponsored roadmap peace plan.

    "I expect to continue to work with you and your camp, and to progress toward the two-state solution in which Israel and the Palestinian state can live in peace, free and free of terror," said Rice when opening the meeting.

    She also praised Sharon for the Israeli withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.

    Rice is to demand Sharon to push forward negotiations with the Palestinians over the operation of the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border to enable free movement of Gazans and goods.

    Rice will also urge Sharon to ease restrictions on the Karni crossing on the eastern Gaza border with Israel to allow easy flow of cargoes and goods. The terminal is considered the "bottleneck" of the Palestinian economy in the Gaza Strip.

    The top US diplomat will also discuss with Israeli leaders how Israel will act if the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), sworn to Israel's destruct, takes part in the Palestinian parliamentary elections due on Jan. 25.

    Rice arrived in Israel on Sunday evening and participated a memorial forum to mark the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

    The visit is part of her on-going Middle East tour which has already taken her to Iraq, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

    Rice is expected to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah later on Monday. Her Mideast tour is widely seen as a new US bid to inject fresh energy in the long-stalled peace process.

    Hopes to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have soared since the Israeli Gaza withdrawal in September. Washington hopes the pullout can be a springboard to the implementation of the roadmap peace plan which envisions an independent Palestinian state along with Israel.

    But recent violence between the two sides has cast a pall over the peace prospects. Enditem