March 23 (Bloomberg) -- Vice President Dick Cheney said U.S. support for Israel's security is `unshakable'' and warned Palestinians against resorting to terrorism and rocket attacks to press their case for an independent state.

``The United States will never pressure Israel to take steps that would threaten its security,'' Cheney said when he arrived in Jerusalem. In Ramallah, Cheney said the creation of a Palestinian state will require ``a determination to defeat those who are committed to violence and refuse to accept the basic right of the other side to exist.''

Cheney is visiting Jerusalem and the West Bank as part of a drive to push the two sides toward a vision for a Palestinian state, an initiative that has emerged as a top priority for President George W. Bush in his final year of office. Peace talks were jeopardized earlier this month by rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip that prompted Israeli counterstrikes.

Bush made his first visit to Israel and the West Bank in January and will return in May.

Cheney reiterated Bush's commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state and said both sides would have to make ``tough decisions and painful concessions'' as they work toward peace. The vice president didn't address Israeli settlements and other issues that have been stalling the peace process.

Instead, Cheney denounced Palestinian rocket attacks and terrorism that ``kill the legitimate hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people.'' Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, with whom Cheney met during his stop in Ramallah, said he opposed those attacks.

Hamas's Reply

A spokesman for Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip, dismissed Cheney's comments as ``inciteful and completely biased in favor of the Israeli occupation.''

Cheney also used his visit to Israel to discuss what he said are the ``darkening shadows'' of Iran and other regional security threats. Israeli leaders said they shared his concerns about an Iranian nuclear threat.

``Nobody can console us and say the declarations of Ahmadinejad are less serious than they are,'' said Israeli President Shimon Peres, referring to the Iranian leader's opposition to Israel's right to exist.

Cheney stopped in Israel after a week-long tour of the Middle East that has taken him to Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

He took a break from his official agenda to attend a 20- minute Easter service at a 105-year-old church in the American consulate.

To contact the reporter on this story: Holly Rosenkrantz in Jerusalem at hrosenkrantz@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: March 23, 2008 10:40 EDT