Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai vowed on Wednesday that he would exhaust his resources to help expand West Bank settlements, reported local daily The Jerusalem Post.

"I promise to use my ministry, all the resources at my disposal and the ministry's impact on local authorities for the good of expanding settlements," the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party was quoted as saying at a meeting with settlement leaders.

The hardline minister made the remarks as the US government under President Barack Obama has repeatedly urged Israel to totally freeze settlement activities, which the Jewish state sees as a tall order.

The defiant overture came on the eve of an eye-catching speech that Obama, who is visiting the Middle East, is scheduled to deliver in a bid to mend ties with the Muslim world.

"The American policies are not coincidental and everyone must know that the bad situation will only get worse in the near future," Yishai told the settler leaders.

"We respect the United States and we want to maintain a positive relationship with the Americans, but we must stand up for our principles and we cannot accept dictates that the public cannot tolerate," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2009)