Hillary Clinton has arrived in Jerusalem her first visit to Israel and the West Bank as US secretary of state. Clinton arrived from Egypt, where the US and other international donors pledged US$ 4.5 billion for rebuilding Gaza. Speaking at the donor conference in hosted by the Egyptian government in Sharm el-Sheikh, Clinton underlined that the new US administration was committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state. She also reiterated her personal commitment to a peaceful settlement but said that it would require patience.
Clinton shook hands and exchanged a few words with Syria's foreign minister Walid Mouallem. Last week Imad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador to Washington, held what he described as "very constructive" talks with Jeffrey Feltman, one of Clinton's deputies and a former US ambassador to Lebanon. "We believe that this meeting has explored possibilities between Syria and the United States to engage on a diplomatic and political level and also to discuss all issues of mutual concern," the Syrian ambassador said afterwards.
