TEL AVIV, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began a visit to the Middle East on Sunday to try to give the sputtering Israeli-Palestinian peace process a push before President George W. Bush's expected return in May.

Rice landed in Tel Aviv to kick off three days of shuttle talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who revived negotiations at a U.S.-sponsored summit in November.

Bogged down by disputes over Jewish settlement construction and violence in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the negotiations have shown little sign of progress so far.

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