U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday he hoped to help achieve a peace agreement encompassing Israeli security needs and Palestinian sovereignty, as he wrapped up his regional visit.

But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dampened hopes by rejecting U.S. proposals for Israel to keep a military presence in a future Palestinian state.

World leaders have heaped praise on the late Nelson Mandela, but among the countries paying tribute are some that had long backed the South African apartheid regime that jailed him.

Many of the eulogies for the iconic peacemaker have glossed over Western support for the white supremacist regime in Pretoria during the Cold War, when Mandela and his African National Congress (ANC) were blacklisted as Soviet proxies.

Israeli Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are unlikely to bear fruit within the envisioned nine-month time-frame but that dialogue should continue.

His remarks Friday evening contrasted with those of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who said peace was closer than it had been in years.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take inspiration from Nelson Mandela in peace talks, as he wrapped up another visit to the region Friday.

Kerry said Israel and the Palestinians were closer to peace than they have been in years, even though the direct negotiations he brokered have made little visible headway since they began in late July.

President Barack Obama on Thursday defended his nuclear diplomacy with Iran before an audience of Israeli diplomats and senior members of the U.S. Jewish community and officials.

At a White House Hanukkah reception, Obama said that it was important for the United States to test Iran's intentions, and pledged to keep working for a comprehensive deal to deprive Tehran of a nuclear weapon.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday insisted Israel's security is a top priority for Washington, both in nuclear talks with Iran and peace talks with the Palestinians.

Kerry is in Israel for a day of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders aimed at driving forward peace negotiations which appear to have made little headway since they began under his patronage in late July.

Israel's deputy defense minister ruled out Thursday any security compromise in the Jordan Valley, saying the Jewish state would not give in to U.S. pressure to accept "a bad deal".

Danny Danon, a hardline member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party, said Israel would never accept a Palestinian presence at the border crossing with Jordan.

Washington's top diplomat was holding talks on security with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in their first meeting since a fallout over a nuclear deal struck with Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry landed just before midnight (2200 GMT) on Wednesday for a trip aimed at giving momentum to the direct negotiations, which appear to have made little headway since they began under his patronage in late July.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Pope Francis on Monday as part of a visit to Rome during which he restated his firm opposition to a nuclear deal with Iran.

The two leaders addressed "the complex political and social situation in the Middle East, with particular reference to the resumption of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians", the Vatican said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for Rome on Sunday for a two-day official visit during which he will meet Pope Francis for the first time.

The Israeli leader took off around midday accompanied by six of his ministers, including his newly reappointed Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, public radio said.