MARRAKECH, Morocco -U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is again praising Israel's offer to restrict its building of settlements in Palestinian areas, but says it falls well short of the U.S. desire for a full halt to building.
Clinton spoke Monday to reporters as she sat down to a meeting with her Moroccan counterpart.
She was asked about negative Arab reaction to comments she made Saturday in Jerusalem that were widely interpreted as a softening of the U.S. position on Israeli settlement activity.
Clinton said her approach is to offer what she called "positive reinforcement" whenever either the Israelis or the Palestinians make a move that the U.S. sees as a step forward in the peace process.
