U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton again praised Israel's offer to limit — but not halt — West Bank settlement construction, but said Monday it still fell short of Washington's wishes.

Clinton was in Morocco to consult with Arab foreign ministers on Monday over the resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestinians.

Clinton appeared to anger many in the region when on Saturday she called for a resumption of talks without a freeze on Israeli settlement construction, a key sticking point in Mideast peace talks. The comments were not well received by Palestinian officials and appeared to be a departure from the Obama administration's previous stance that Israel must freeze all settlement construction.

But Clinton said Monday in Marrakech that the comments were part of an approach of "positive reinforcement" whenever either side made a step forward in the peace process.

The Arab-Israeli peace process is to be at the top of her agenda as she meets with Arab foreign ministers in Morocco for a regional development conference.

She is meeting first with Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri in Marrakech before flying to the southern-central city of Ouarzazate for an audience with King Mohammed VI.

Later she will return to Marrakech to meet with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq before meeting separately with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who has been a vocal critic of the U.S. approach to improving Arab-Israeli relations.

Clinton is also expected to discuss Iran's nuclear program with the regional officials on Monday.

Palestinian officials upset

Clinton had said late Saturday in a joint news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's concession to offer specific restraints on some settlement construction was "unprecedented" and said talks should resume.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has consistently refused to reopen negotiations until Israel has stopped building settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khatib publicly chided Washington on Sunday for appearing to condone settlement expansion, which has been a sticking point in the resumption of negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian governments.

"Calling for a resumption of negotiations despite continued settlement construction doesn't help because we have tried this way many times," Khatib said.

"Negotiations are about ending the occupation and settlement expansion is about entrenching the occupation."

Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem alongside 2.8 million Palestinians. Israel captured the regions in the 1967 war with Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

With files from The Associated Press