Jerusalem ? Top U.S. and Israeli diplomats said Wednesday they would push quickly for a political settlement with the moderate-led West Bank in spite of the bitter internal split among Palestinians there and in Gaza.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said they would not squander what each called a rare chance for progress in the 60-year-old conflict between the Jewish state and the Palestinians.

“Israel is not going to miss this opportunity,” Livni said as Rice began her first visit to Israel since long-standing divisions among the Palestinians hardened into rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In a few days of fighting in June, Islamic Hamas militants in Gaza routed badly organized forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a U.S. ally.