On Tuesday, Gere visited a cultural center in Ramallah, the Palestinian administrative capital in the West Bank. He said Abbas' call for a halt to attacks against Israelis is important.

"It is time to encourage the true face of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian movement," Gere said.

Inside the center Gere, 55, who won a best actor Golden Globe in 2003 for his role in the musical "Chicago," exchanged ideas with Mahmoud Darwish, known as the Palestinian national poet.

On Monday Gere met in Tel Aviv Israel's two vice premiers, Shimon Peres and Ehud Olmert, as well as the head of the dovish Israeli opposition Yahad party, Yossi Beilin. "It is a time of change," the actor said. "Both Israelis and Palestinians need to make sacrifices for this peace to come."

In March and June of last year, Gere toured Israel and the West Bank to promote social justice.

While this week's visit wasn't announced in advance, dozens of fans showed up before his meetings in Tel Aviv to catch a glimpse of the actor.

© 2005 Associated Press.

Editor's note: