BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's special advisor for global youth issues met Friday with local students, telling them that America is "committed" to its relationship with the Palestinians.

Ronan Farrow told students at Bethlehem University the US is "committed to the relationship between the American people and Palestinian people, where our commitment to youth is particularly important."

Farrow's visit is part of a regional tour to include stops in Tunis, Algeria, Jordan, Palestine and Israel, State Department officials said. The 24-year-old also paid a visit to Jerusalem and attended sessions of some of the US Consulate's youth outreach projects, they said.

Of the stop in Bethlehem, Farrow said he was excited to "explore new ways to talk to -- and perhaps more importantly, to listen to -- young people," adding that some of the things he heard from the students "inspire me when I think about the future of Palestinian state and the future of the region."

Farrow directs the State Department’s Global Youth Issues office and is responsible for "implementing and amplifying" youth policy and programming at the department, the US Consulate said.