Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have met in a meeting promoted by Washington.

After initial talks with President Obama, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would work hard to try to strike a long-lasting peace deal with Israel, but insisted Israel must freeze settlement activity in Palestinian territories completely.

Abbas said also that Palestinian prisoners would need to be released.

While saying he was sure difficulties and obstacles would lie in the path of a lasting peace process, he insisted that people in the Palestinian territories were interested mainly in peace and justice.

US President Barack Obama met with both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders prior to the series of meetings aimed at restarting direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Mr Obama first met with Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, after which he gave a brief public statement in which he condemned the murder of four Israelis near Hebron on Tuesday night, calling it "a senseless slaughter."

He said: "The United States is going to be unwavering in its support of Israel’s security, and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities."

President Obama has also met with Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose countries have, in the past, made peace deals with Israel.

President Obama has already set a one-year timeframe for the leaders to deliver positive outcomes.