Hillary Clinton puts America on collision course with Israel as she pledges to press for Pal. state

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Hillary Clinton puts America on collision course with Israel as she pledges to press for Palestinian state

By Liz Hazelton
Last updated at 1:43 PM on 03rd March 2009

Hillary Clinton put America on a collision course with Israel today after pledging to press for a Palestinian state.

The U.S. Secretary of State's position brings her into conflict with the Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.

Although Netanyahu has spoken of Palestinian self-government, he has shied away from a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.


Warm welcome: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton receives a bouquet and a kiss from Israeli President Shimon Peres as she arrives in Jerusalem today
Clinton, who is in Jerusalem for talks today, spoke after attending a conference in Egypt geared to raising donations for the Gaza Strip. She pledged $900million in U.S. aid.

'During the conference, I emphasised President Obama's and my commitment to working to achieve a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and our support for the Palestinian Authority,' she said after meeting Israeli President Shimon Peres.

She added that she had an 'unrelenting commitment to Israel's security' and said continued rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip must stop.

Her comments appeared carefully judged to maintain Washington's tough line  against Hamas, which controls Gaza, while supporting the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.


TheSecretary of State lays a wreath next to the Eternal Flame during a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem
She stressed that Hamas must recognise Israel, renounce violence and sign on to past Israeli-Palestinian agreements if it wanted to come out of isolation.

The Obama administration has listed progress in the Middle East as a priority.


Hardliner: Prime-minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu opposes a two-state solution
But the new president's pledge suffered a heavy blow after Israel's 22-day offensive in Gaza left the territory decimated.

The situation appeared to worsen when Shimon Peres confirmed the hawkish Netanyahu as his preferred prime minister after last month's close-run election.

Netanyahu  supports expansion of existing Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a policy strongly opposed by Washington.

He has enough parliamentary support to put together a right-wing government.

However,  he has been seeking, unsuccessfully so far, to form a middle-of-the-road coalition that could reduce the chances of friction with the United States.

Netanyahu, clashed often with the U.S. administration when Bill Clinton, the secretary of state's husband, was in the White House.

Peace talks brokered by President Clinton broke down in 2000, his final year in office, and a new wave of violence swept the region.

Discussions were revived in late 2007 butstalled over violence, settlement-building and disputes over other core issues such as the future of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.