Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon focused on Canada's ties with Israel, sidestepping questions about Middle East security, after a meeting with Israel's foreign minister on Sunday.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon looks at photographs of Jews who were killed during the Second World War as he visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial's Hall of Names in Jerusalem on Sunday. (Dan Balilty/Associated Press)

When asked whether Gaza's border with Israel would be kept open for reconstruction, Cannon deferred the question to his hosts.

"I guess you'll have to ask the Israelis that question," Cannon told reporters after a luncheon meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem.

"I'm here to make that point," Cannon said, "to meet with the foreign minister and to reconnect the great and important relationship Canada has with Israel over the last 60 years."

He also met with Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister-designate. During their talks, Cannon reaffirmed Canada's support and firm belief in Israel's right to defend itself.

As part of his Jerusalem tour, Cannon visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial where he placed a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance.

On Saturday, Cannon met with Jordanian officials and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, Jordan.

He did not visit the Gaza Strip, but several foreign officials, including a team from the World Bank, did spend the day touring some of the areas hardest hit during Israel's 22-day assault on Hamas targets, which left thousands of people homeless and destroyed billions of dollars in infrastructure.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair, now a Middle East Quartet envoy, visited the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Middle East Quartet, which includes the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States, is due to meet on the sidelines of an international donor conference for Gaza reconstruction, opening Monday in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Cannon's primary purpose for his first Middle East trip is to attend the conference.

Palestinians say they need $2.8 billion to repair the damage caused by the fierce fighting between Hamas and the Israeli military.

There have been no assurances that the tightly controlled border crossings to Gaza would be open to make large-scale reconstruction possible.

With files from the Canadian Press