By David Harris

Just hours after the last of a string of US officials visiting Israel this week bade farewell to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews on Wednesday night began a day of fast and mourning.

While the ritual dates back almost 2,000 years, its timing this year offered an additional layer of meaning for many of those attending synagogue services.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a visit to the Israeli-controlled Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, July 28, 2009. [Xinhua]

The annual Ninth of Av Fast commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, a site now regarded by the international community as an occupied territory.

"We've longed for the land of Israel since we were exiled 2,000 years ago. We've had it in our hands for 40 years and now the Americans tell us we have to give it up again," said Renee Kingsley, a mother of three who lives in the center of the country.

On Monday, around 1,000 people gathered in Jerusalem to protest the US demand for a settlement freeze, as visiting US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was meeting Netanyahu. Besides Gates, the so-called A-Team touring this region this week also included special envoy George Mitchell and National Security Advisor James Jones.

The prayers and hopes of Israel's right-wingers were dashed as early as Wednesday night, when local TV Channel 10 reported that Netanyahu had agreed to freeze the construction of 900 houses for Jews in the Arab-dominated eastern part of Jerusalem.

The Palestinian National Authority refuses to negotiate with Israel as long as settlement construction continues in the West Bank and building work rolls on in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinians want the eastern half of the holy city to be the capital of their future Palestinian state, while most Israelis view the whole Jerusalem as Israel's indivisible capital.

The stream of American visitors to Israel, who also took in several key Arab states during the trips, discussed not only the Palestinian issue but also bilateral issues and, of paramount importance to Israel, Iran's nuclear program.