JERUSALEM (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. will “vigorously” pursue the creation of a Palestinian state. Clinton is making her first visit to the region as secretary of state. She spoke Tuesday alongside Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni ahead of a meeting later in the day with prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s criticism in the past of peace talks with the Palestinians and the possibility of Palestinian independence has raised concerns that his new government could clash with the U.S. Clinton said earlier in the day that the U.S. would work with any Israeli government. But she says the U.S. “will be vigorously engaged in the pursuit of a two-state solution every step of the way.”