US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York on Thursday amidst persistent tension over Israeli building policies in settlements and Jerusalem.
Before the talks, Clinton told reporters discussions would involve "everything" related to the Middle East peace process, Politico reported online.
The meeting was the first since Netanyahu and his government announced last month the resumption of construction in East Jerusalem, which resulted in a suspension of Netanyahu's direct talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, DPA reported.
Both Clinton and US President Barack Obama have criticized Israel's stance on the issue.
"We're going to be talking about everything, and I will save my comments beyond what I've already said to talk to the prime minister," Clinton said.
Netanyahu, in the US this week for meetings with American Jewish federations and groups, said that he and Clinton had been "talking on the phone quite intensively over the last few weeks."
"We're quite serious about doing it and we want to get on with it," Netanyahu was quoted as saying.