WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday the United States seeks to ensure the "full commitment" of both Israel and the Palestinians toward reviving peace talks.
Clinton also told reporters "I don't buy that" when asked whether she thought US-Israeli ties had hit a 35-year low since Israel announced last week that it would build new homes in east Jerusalem -- a move that has threatened US-brokered indirect talks.
"We are committed to the resumption of negotiations between the parties," Clinton said during a press conference with Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin.
"We think that (envoy) George Mitchell's legendary patience will win the day as the process gets started again because there is just too much at stake for both the Palestinians and Israelis," the chief US diplomat said.
"But our goal now is to make sure that we have the full commitment from both our Israeli and the Palestinian partners to this effort," she said.
A US official told AFP in Jerusalem that Mitchell, who had been scheduled to return to the region to advance newly-agreed indirect talks, postponed a visit to Israel on Tuesday, as the row between the two close allies continues.
Martin, who visited the Middle East recently, said Ireland supports the initiative on the indirect negotiations as "the correct pathway."
He added: "We do believe that the proximity talks should commence as quickly as possible."
Israel's March 9 green light for the new construction in east Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo raised doubts over the outlook for indirect peace talks the Palestinians had reluctantly agreed to hold with Israel just days earlier.
The announcement also came during a visit to Israel by US Vice President Joe Biden, dealing a heavy blow to months of US-led efforts to relaunch talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Direct negotiations collapsed after Israel launched a devastating 22-day military offensive against the Islamist Hamas-run Gaza Strip aimed at halting Palestinian rocket fire.
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