U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Saturday visited the northern West Bank city of Jenin to assess improvements the western-backed Palestinian security forces achieved.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, whose government implements a campaign to restore order and reinforce law in the city, accompanied Rice in the tour.
After Rice met Palestinian officials in the city, Jenin's governor Qadoura Fares said Rice's first visit to the city was "historical and important."
Rice also attended the opening ceremony of a new department in Jenin's hospital.
The deployment of the Palestinian forces in the city succeeded to end the violence of unknown gunmen, Palestinian factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who accuse the forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of cracking down on fighters who fight Israel.
The city has often been a stronghold for the less influential Islamic Jihad.
Rice has been touring the region since Friday. She met Abbas on Friday in Ramallah and said the Palestinians should soon have their statehood.
Source: Xinhua
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