Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday said the US was committed and she was "passionate" about building a lasting peace in the Middle East that is based on a two-state solution.

She was speaking at the end of an international donor conference for the Gaza Strip that was held in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh.

"We are committed to a two-state solution," Clinton told journalists. "I feel passionate about this ... it's not just part of my portfolio."

"Hamas is not a country," she said when asked whether the United States would deal with the Palestinian group which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, but was not present at Monday's conference.

"It is an entity that has to understand the principles of engagement" as laid out by the so-called Middle East Quartet, and the Arab League, namely that "it must recognize Israel and renounce violence," the former US first lady said. dpa