Janet Napolitano said she was not able to fully comment as she had not discussed the situation with US President Barack Obama or State Secretary Hillary Clinton. She had been addressing a press conference at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Khadija bint Khwalid center.

“Israel is a strong ally of the US, but at the same time the US strongly supports the peace process and of course, human rights in the region,” said Napolitano.

"The Obama administration has been striving to remove causes of tension that would lead to situations like this in the region."

She said that a two-state deal was the ideal solution to the conflict, adding that the Obama administration would strive earnestly to bring conflicting parties to an agreement that would stop further clashes in the region. Napolitano had been addressing university students and Saudi businesswomen at the center.

She said her job was not only to protect US security but work in the international domain as well.  “I want to stress that my job is to also protect the US from international entities who would like to use our borders for drug trafficking, terrorism, and other criminal means,” she said.

Napolitano said she had met with Saudi government officials to discuss counterterrorism and counter-radicalization measures, such as those currently in place in the Kingdom.

“We have great interest in the program pertaining to what it is, how it works, and the methodology involved,” she added.

Napolitano said the US was working with Yemen to improve its security, especially after a Nigerian man tried to blow up a transatlantic flight just minutes before it landed in the American city of Detroit.

“We are not doing anything that isn’t in cooperation with the government of Yemen security-wise. We have also talked to Saudi Arabia and discussed the methods used by the Kingdom in securing its border against terrorists from Yemen,” she said.

“I think that there are certainly radicals who have become violent and have links to Al-Qaeda who seek to bring down commercial aircraft in the US and around the world.”

Napolitano is due in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to hold talks with a number of Gulf Cooperation Council representatives to discuss improving aviation security. Napolitano also spoke about her career and how she had begun her work in the Clinton administration, overcoming the gender inequalities currently experienced by Saudi businesswomen.

“I began my career as a private commercial lawyer practicing for ten years and then took on other jobs as a public prosecutor practicing criminal law,” she said, adding that eventually she was put in charge of 120 prosecutors, dealing with high-profile cases such as the Oklahoma bombing.

Napolitano ran for office and became governor of Arizona. Later she become the secretary of Homeland Security after President Barack Obama contacted her.

Also present during Napolitano’s speech were US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James B. Smith, US Consul General Martin Quinn and director of the Khadijah bint Khwalid center Basmah Omair.

— With input from Galal Fakkar