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LONDON (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Wednesday that his government is advancing its way to the resumption of talks with the Palestinians and he hopes to materialize in the short term.

Israel has so far resisted the calls of U.S. President, Barack Obama, to freeze construction of settlements for peace talks can resume, a dispute that has led to an unusual rift in relations between the State Jew with Washington.

London, Netanyahu had been in talks with U.S. envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, a meeting that both described as very productive.

They agreed on the importance of restarting substantive negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians and work toward a comprehensive peace, and that all parties should take concrete steps to achieve peace, he said in a joint released by the State Department the United States.

The prime minister and senator made good progress today, and an Israeli delegation will meet next week with Senator Mitchell continue talks.

Meanwhile, the Israeli spokesman Mark Regev suggested that a deal with Washington to allow the resumption of peace negotiations could be reached within weeks.

The goal is to find a consensus with the U.S. government (…) in a framework that allows us to restart a reinvigorated peace process, Regev said.

For this process to be meaningful, the Arab world must be part of, he added.

About half a million Israelis live in settlements built on West Bank and east Jerusalem on a territory seized by Israeli forces in the Middle East war of 1967.

The international community considers illegal and the Palestinians say undermine their aspirations to establish their own state in that land.

Iran link

The British newspaper The Guardian said that Obama was close to a deal to allow the resumption of talks late next month. A U.S. promise to increase pressure on Iran over its disputed nuclear program is key to add Israel to the process, he said.

Regev said the foe Iran was clearly a factor in negotiations Middle East peace.

You see what Iran is doing today to undermine the peace process, what would be able to make a nuclear Iran to undermine the peace process? he asked.

Netanyahu, a rightist leader who took office in March, has pledged not to build any new Israeli settlement, but want to allow what he calls natural growth existing enclaves.

Prime Minister, whose comments during a photo session, were circulated to reporters by his spokesman, expressed hope that both sides can resume talks soon normal .

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has insisted the freeze on all construction as a precondition for renewed peace talks with Israel, stalled since December.

Abbas said the PLO's parliament on Wednesday that diplomatic contacts were in a period of serious political movement to launch a political process aimed at reaching a comprehensive peace agreement.

( Translated by Editorial Madrid, edited by Hernan Garcia and Paul Casciato)