Condoleezza was thought of as a passive participant, but revolutionized to an activist diplomat who was willing to break with many conservatives that were skeptical of an American diplomat role in the Middle East. Within the Middle East, there were many different negotiations that Rice was involved with. The first one was the Gaza withdrawal. Within this negotiation, Rice worked hard to persuade Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories and free up commerce and travel between the two areas. Rice worked diligently with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Abbas to help with the peaceful process. She met with each group separately to discuss what they both wanted and allowed herself for some insight to both parties.
