The Palestinian election earlier this month after the death of Yasser Arafat offered “a moment of opportunity,” Rice said, but she stressed that Palestinian leaders needed to do more to end acts of terrorism against Israel, saying peace hopes would be dashed if such violence continued. “As long as the broader Middle East remains a region of tyranny and despair and anger, it will produce extremists and movements that threaten the safety of Americans and our friends,” she said. She raised the possibility that Bush might name an envoy to the Palestinians. “No one has objections in principle” to such an envoy, she said, but “it is a question over whether that is appropriate” at this time.