Palestinian Islamic factions called for a general strike in the Palestinian territories in protest against US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit yesterday.

Rice arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as Israel pressed offensive in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip over the past month.

They said in a leaflet that her visit "aims at pressuring the Palestinians to stop their struggle against the Israeli occupation. Her visit only serves the Israeli interests and guarantee Israel's superiority in the region."

The factions condemned "the declared American stance that the war and destruction have to continue to end the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance."

They also said that the visit came in preparation for the so-called new Middle East.

"A ceasefire would be a false promise if it simply returns us to the status quo," Rice said before leaving for the Middle East aimed at creating conditions for a sustainable truce and lasting peace.

"What we're seeing here ... are the birth pangs of a new Middle East and whatever we do, we have to be certain that we are pushing forward to the new Middle East, not going back to the old one." She repeated the call at the start of meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier Tuesday in Jerusalem.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), told reporters in Gaza that Rice's visit was "unwelcome".

Abu Zuhri said that the U.S. "was a partner of the aggression against the Palestinian and the Lebanese peoples."

"We, the Hamas, reject all US and international dictations, and Rice has to save her efforts because our Palestinian people are committed to their rights and principles," said the spokesman of the ruling Hamas.