US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Palestinian Authority leaders in the West Bank today in a bid to strengthen their standing after offering $900 million in economic and humanitarian aid.
Clinton met Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah and congratulated him on what she said was his "extraordinary" presentation to a conference of international donors in Egypt on March 2 that drew more than $4.2 billion in promised support.
She will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas later today.
Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Abbas, 73, will raise the issue of Israeli settlement building in the West Bank as well as discuss the creation of a Palestinian state.
"The inevitability of working toward a two-state solution is inescapable," Clinton said yesterday after talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
Mrs Clinton, on her first Middle East visit since taking office, yesterday aimed to reassure Israeli leaders of the Obama administration's commitment to their nation's security as the US engages Syria and
considers diplomacy with Iran.
Mrs Clinton said yesterday that Russia and China had joined the US and three European Union partners in urging the United Nations Energy Agency to intensify its monitoring of Iran's nuclear program.
The request was in a letter the group sent to the IAEA saying they would seek a "comprehensive solution" to the dispute over whether Iran should stop uranium enrichment, a process that can lead to the construction of a nuclear weapon.
Gaza Conflict Peace talks between Abbas and Israeli leaders have been on hold because of the fighting in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas two months ago and as Israeli politicians try to form a new government after elections last month. Hamas seized control of Gaza after expelling Abbas's Fatah from the territory in 2007.
US President Barack Obama has pledged to "vigorously" pursue a political settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, while exploring all avenues toward a broader Middle East peace.
Among the adversaries Mrs Clinton, 61, is testing for co-operation is Syria. She announced yesterday that two senior US officials will travel to Damascus for talks on a range of issues.
It would be the first time such a high-level American delegation has gone to the Syrian capital since the US withdrew its ambassador after the 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
Syrian officials were implicated in the killing by a United Nations investigator. Borders, Jerusalem In the case of the Israelis and Palestinians, the two sides would have to resolve contentious issues such as borders and the control of east Jerusalem, problems that have derailed earlier peace efforts.
Israel still has plans to increase construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which is territory the Palestinians seek for their independent state, the Peace Now organization said on Monday.
The Israeli Housing Ministry has provisional plans to build more than 70,000 housing units in the West Bank, which would double Jewish population in the territory, it said. Israel's support for a Palestinian state may change under the new government that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud Party leader, is trying to assemble.
Mr Netanyahu won support from a majority of parties in Israel's parliament following elections held on Feb. 10, and President Shimon Peres has asked him to form a government.
Mr Netanyahu, who has said Palestinians aren't ready for statehood, yesterday played down any concerns about disagreement with Clinton.
Netanyahu, a 59-year-old former prime and finance minister, advocates strengthening the Palestinian economy ahead of tackling serious negotiating issues with the Palestinians.