US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has dismissed the idea that US-Israeli relations are in crisis amid a row over Jewish settlers in Arab East Jerusalem.

美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿否认了美国-伊拉克因为东耶路撒冷犹太人定居点纠纷问题导致双方关系恶化的说法。

She said the two nations had a "close, unshakeable bond" but made clear the US wanted both Israel and the Palestinians to prove their commitment to peace.

Earlier, US envoy¹ George Mitchell postponed² a planned visit to Israel.

Heightened tensions in Jerusalem have led to violent clashes（冲突） between hundreds of Palestinians and Israeli police.

Israeli police said about 60 Palestinians had been arrested and medical officials said a number of people had been injured.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged restraint（抑制，束缚） from both sides, the AFP news agency reports, and reiterated³（重申） that Jerusalem's final status should be decided⁴ by negotiation⁵.

'Dismay and disappointment'

Israel angered Washington by announcing its plans for 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem as US Vice-President Joe Biden visited the region last week to try to kick-start stalled peace talks.

Israel's ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, was quoted by Israeli media on Monday as saying that ties between the US and Israel were at their lowest point since 1975.

Asked if that was the case, Mrs Clinton said: "I don't buy that."

She said Washington had an "absolute commitment to Israel's security".

But, she added, the US did not always agree with its international allies on everything, and it had expressed its "dismay（沮丧，惊慌） and disappointment" to Israel over last week's incident.

Last week, Mrs Clinton called the settlements announcement "insulting" to the US and, in a phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanded Israel take steps to show its commitment to peace.

The US says it is still awaiting a "formal" response from Israel to those concerns.

Mr Mitchell had been due to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday but the trip has been put off to an as yet undetermined time, officials said.

State department spokesman Philip Crowley said Mr Mitchell would not meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders before a Middle East Quartet meeting in Moscow on Friday but talks would be scheduled at some point（在某一时刻） .

BBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas, in Washington, says the pressure is piling up on Israel but the question being asked is whether the US can get anything from Israel at this stage.

It is possible the Israeli prime minister cannot deliver what Washington wants without paying too heavy a price at home, our correspondent says.

Although he has apologised for the timing⁶ of the settlement announcement, Mr Netanyahu has stood by Israel's policy, telling parliament on Monday there can be "no curbs⁷" on Jewish building in Jerusalem.

The BBC's Paul Wood in Jerusalem says there seems to be an impasse⁸（僵局，死路） - if Mr Netanyahu caves in and cancels the new settlements, the stability of his government may be in doubt; if he does not, it is hard to see how the peace talks can take place.