US to Send Envoy to Middle East: The United States will continue pressing for a diplomatic solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, sending a new envoy to work with both parties, Secretary of State Colin Powell said today. "But at the end of the day," he said, Israelis and Arabs – especially Palestinian leaders – must "face up to some fundamental truths" and make hard, courageous decisions to bring lasting peace to the torn region. They include a vigorous Palestinian crackdown on terrorists, he said, and Israel's eventual withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza.