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TEL AVIV, Israel - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Israel on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top officials as Washington struggles to revive the stagnant Middle East peace process.
Washington's top diplomat was also to meet with Defence Minister Ehud Barak and hardline Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman during her hours-long visit.
Clinton flew in from Abu Dhabi where she held a "difficult" meeting with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who demanded that Israel freeze all settlement activity in order for peace talks to resume.
Following the meeting senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said that the gap between the two parties "is widening even more" while Abbas' spokesman accused the Israelis of "intransigence."
A senior US official travelling with Clinton admitted a "difficult period" in peace efforts, but insisted that "neither side has shut the door."
Washington has for months been struggling to get Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace negotiations that were suspended during the Gaza War at the turn of the year.
- AFP /ls
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