WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhuanet)-- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice renewed on Tuesday Washington's support for establishment of a Palestinian state and for a solution to a dispute over voting in Palestinian elections.

  ;  Rice conferred by telephone with acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and was informed that the Israeli government had not resolved whether Palestinians in East Jerusalem would be permitted to vote in Jan. 25 elections, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

    On the issue of voting in East Jerusalem, McCormack said "whatever the solution is, it needs to be mutually acceptable to the Israeli side and the Palestinian side to take into account Israel's very real security concerns, while also addressing the Palestinian desire to have all Palestinians able to participate in these upcoming elections."

    Rice has sent two senior envoys to the Middle East to look into arrangements for a Palestinian elections scheduled for Jan. 25.

    Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas reportedly said Monday that elections would take place as planned on Jan. 25 after he received U.S. assurances that Israel would allow voting to take place in east Jerusalem.

    Earlier this month Abbas raised the possibility that the parliamentary election could be delayed if Israel barred voting in Arab East Jerusalem. Enditem