The US secretary of state has told Al Jazeera that Washington wants an end to illegal Israeli settlements.

On Saturday, Hillary Clinton had appeared to signal a change in tone, praising Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, for "unprecedented restraint", despite his refusal to halt settlement expansion.

She said that despite Washington's frequent calls for a settlement freeze, that was not a precondition for negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

Those comments were immediately condemned by Palestinian officials.

In an interview with Al Jazeera in Morocco, Clinton said Washington's policy has not shifted .