Israel and the United States have raised the possibility of asking Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to ban Hamas from running in the parliamentary election, the Ha'aretz daily reported Friday.

The issue of Hamas' participation in the election and US contact with Hamas will be on the agenda of talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is due to arrive in Israel Saturday.

A source in Sharon's Bureau was quoted as saying Abbas' postponement of the election originally due on July 17, was related, among other things, to Israel's reservations about the participation of "a racist party that calls for the annihilation of the Jews."

The United States has promised Israel it will refrain from official talks with Hamas until it renounces armed struggle and agrees to abide by legal constraints, the source said.

According to the report, Rice will travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Abbas to know more about progress in reforming Palestinian security services.

Rice will ask Abbas to detail steps he intends to take to stop Qassam rocket attack and ensure that the disengagement from the Gaza Strip is not accompanied by attacks by Palestinian gunmen.

Israeli sources described Rice's visit as "a maintenance visit," aimed at helping to remove obstacles in the way of implementing the disengagement, therefore, Rice may not press Sharon to dismantle illegal outposts and freeze settlement expansion.

Source: Xinhua