Amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in the region, US Middle East envoy George Mitchell said that Washington's commitment to Israel's security was unshakeable, adding that "this security can be achieved and protected through comprehensive peace in the region."

"For the Arab states, that means meaningful steps toward normalising relations with Israel.

"For the Palestinians, it means expanding and improving their security forces, to take action against incitement," Mitchell said after talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres.

"For Israel, that means making possible improved access and movement and economic growth for Palestinians ... and dealing with difficult issues like settlement and outposts," he added.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates, one of three top US officials in the region this week, said on a visit to Jerusalem that Israel's long-term security and regional stability were ultimately dependent on a "sustainable comprehensive Middle East peace."

Gates reassured the Israelis that a US bid for dialogue with Iran was not open-ended and that Washington was anticipating a response by September.

"The president is certainly anticipating or hoping for some kind of a response (from Iran) this fall, perhaps by the time of the UN General Assembly" which opens in September, Gates said at a news conference with Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak.

The US administration would lobby for much tougher sanctions against Iran if Tehran rebuffed its diplomatic outreach, Gates said later in the Jordanian capital Amman.

Washington and Israel, widely considered the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear armed state, suspect Iran is trying to build atomic weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear programme, a charge Tehran denies.

"Israel remains in its basic position that no options should be removed from the table, despite the fact that at this stage a priority should be given still to diplomacy and sanctions," Barak said.

US President Barack Obama said in May after meeting Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would assess whether Iran was serious about nuclear talks by the end of this year.

Gates reaffirmed that Washington would continue to provide its close ally with "robust" military aid to counter what he called a "growing threat posed by rockets and missiles."

He said US efforts to dissuade Iran from pursuing sensitive nuclear work included steps to bolster maritime surveillance and missile defences among Gulf states and other regional allies.

After a working lunch with Netanyahu, Gates flew to Jordan where he held talks with King Abdullah II.

Mitchell, meanwhile, was due to visit the occupied West Bank for talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, before meeting Netanyahu on Tuesday.

"In an effort to overcome a focus on the past, we call for steps by Arab states to do what they can to fulfill the promise of an Arab peace initiative," said Mitchell, who held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak earlier Monday.

Egypt has been mediating unity talks between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas as well as between Israel and Hamas for a prisoner swap to try to secure the release of an Israeli soldier held in Gaza.

Mitchell's meetings in Israel are likely to focus on the issue of settlements on occupied Palestinian land, one of the main stumbling blocks in the peace process.

Israel's refusal to heed US demands to stop all settlement activity has seen tensions between the two staunch allies rise to a level not seen in years.

Mitchell began his latest tour in Damascus, his second visit since June to a country that Obama has sought to re-engage as part of a new approach to the region after years of hostility under his predecessor George W. Bush.

Another top US official, national security advisor James Jones, was due to lead a high-level delegation to Israel on Tuesday for a three-day visit.

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