Visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday called on Israel to end construction in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

  Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown walks with Israel's President Shimon Peres (R) before their meeting in Jerusalem July 20, 2008.Brown on Sunday called on Israel to end construction in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Britain supports Israel's right to exist in peace and security, while Israeli government should halt construction in the West Bank and ease travel restrictions imposed on Palestinians, said Brown at a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Prior to the meeting, Brown paid a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem to mourn for the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during the Second World War, and laid a wreath next to the eternal flame.

The British leader arrived in Israel late Saturday night for his first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territory as prime minister, aiming to give a new push for the sluggish peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and to focus on economic reconstruction and development in the region.

Following the meeting with Peres, Brown met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, where he pledged more political and economic support to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), reiterating that a strong and sustainable Palestinian economy is a key necessity for improving the political and security situation across the region.

Brown is also to hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert after they attend an business conference in Jerusalem Saturday evening.

On Monday, he will become the first British Prime Minister to address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and meet with senior officials and opposition figures, before his departure in the early afternoon.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2008)