Tel Aviv  - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Israel Monday on her latest trip to gauge the progress of the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

While in the region she will hold talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

The secretary of state has made 20 visits to Israel and the Palestinian areas during her term of office, and seven since Israeli- Palestinian peace negotiations resumed at the turn of the year, after a seven-year hiatus. (dpa)