Israel has agreed in principle to let Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas send a security force loyal to him into Gaza, where a fragile truce is in effect, an Israeli diplomatic source said yesterday. As part of efforts to bolster the moderate Palestinian leader, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will meet Abbas in the West Bank town of Jericho tomorrow, Palestinian officials said. The request to redeploy the 1,000-strong Jordan-based Badr Brigade, the source said, came from Abbas, whose declaration with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday of a ceasefire in the tinderbox territory has stirred hopes of peace talks. "Basically, we have agreed, though it has not yet been officially released," the source said. "The request came through before the ceasefire, but certainly this could boost the truce."A senior Abbas aide said full agreement was not yet secured. "We have asked, but we await the official and full details of the Israeli response," negotiator Saeb Erekat said.