U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney reaffirmed the United States' commitment to an independent Palestinian state Sunday when he met with Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah, part of a weekend spent trying to further the peace process in the region.

After meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Cheney said a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians will require "painful concessions" and co-operation to prevail over those "committed to violence and who refuse to accept the basic right of the other side to exist."

Observers saw that as a reference to Hamas, the militant Islamic Palestinian political party.

He said the creation of an independent Palestine is "long overdue" despite the hard work it will take to come to a bilateral agreement.

Abbas controls the West Bank and is seen as a moderate. He has been trying to subdue Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, who seized power from Abbas' forces in June 2007 and continue to shoot rockets at southern Israel.

"Terror and violence do not merely kill innocent civilians, they also kill the legitimate hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people," Cheney said.

Abbas asked Cheney to try to pressure Israel to halt its settlement expansion in Palestinian territory and military operations on Palestinian soil, Abbas aide Saeb Erekat told The Associated Press about the meeting.

Israel has not complied with various provisions in the U.S.-brokered roadmap to peace, including one that requests it remove illegal outposts on the West Bank.

In a news conference, Abbas thanked the United States for its support and reaffirmed his desire to work with the international community, but also lashed out on the issues of Israeli settlements and security checkpoints.

Talks with Israeli officials

Cheney began Easter Sunday at a tiny chapel in Jerusalem, followed by talks with Israeli officials.

"We are obviously dedicated to doing all we can as an administration to try to move the peace process forward, and obviously actively involved in dealing with the threats that we see emerging in the region -- not only threats to Israel, but threats to the United States as well," Cheney said in a meeting with Israel's president, Shimon Peres.

It is believed this was a reference to Iran's increasing power in the region.

Peres said the threat posed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can not be ignored.

"We have this problem of the Iranians who want to build two satellites, the Hezbollah and the Hamas in Gaza. ... Nobody can control us and say that declarations by Ahmadinejad are less serious," Peres said. "We have to take it seriously."

Day announces public safety plan

Also in Israel on Sunday was Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

He made a joint announcement with Israeli Minister of Public Security Avi Dicter for the two countries to work together on numerous public threats.

In a news release issued from Tel Aviv, the ministers stated their intention to share information about common threats, such as border security, illegal immigration and organized crime.

Day said the deal is a way for Canada and Israel to better protect their citizens.

The two countries agreed to set up a management committee that would set out work for each year on an annual basis. Canada and Israel will share costs stemming from the deal, the statement said.

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press