U.S. makes "deep, durable" commitment to Middle East peace

by David Harris

JERUSALEM, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is determined to work as vigorously as possible to bring about an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

Speaking to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday, Clinton said she was "heartened" by what she has seen during the half a year since she came into office.

In a wide-ranging policy speech, Clinton touched on key international issues and offered her view on Washington's future role in the international community. While the Israeli-Palestinian issue and Iran issue remained as two of her main topics.

As with all seasoned diplomats and politicians, Clinton would not be drawn into making sweeping statements or offering dramatic sound bites. However, she did summarize current U.S. thinking on these two key issues.

PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI TALK

She made sure to clarify not all of the onus in the Palestinian-Israeli arena is on Israel. There was a general feeling after U.S. President Barack Obama's June 4 speech in Cairo that he had asked far more from Israel than from the Palestinians.

"While we expect action from Israel, we recognize that these decisions are politically challenging," Clinton said with regard to the demand for an end to Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and the perceived need to ease the living conditions of Palestinians in the territories.

At the same time Clinton called on the Palestinian National Authority to further strengthen its grip on security and to act "forcefully" against incitement.

Clinton also had a message for the Arab world. While praising the Saudi Peace Initiative, first launched in 2002, she said more is needed.