U.S. efforts to broker a resumption of peace talks ended on Sunday without a breakthrough, a top Palestinian official said, although Washington's top diplomat hailed "real progress".

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has spent the past four days locked in intensive shuttle diplomacy between the Israeli and Palestinian leadership in a bid to draw the two sides back into direct negotiations after a gap of nearly three years.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry launched a second day of talks on Friday aimed at reviving moribund Middle East peace negotiations, sounding out Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas after talks in Jerusalem that went on into the night.

Kerry, who is trying to break a protracted deadlock in the negotiations, huddled in a Jerusalem hotel until nearly 1:30 am (2230 GMT) with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hear his views on the way forward.

Any peace deal with the Palestinians must be based on Israel's ability to defend itself if the agreement breaks down, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said just hours before a visit by Washington's top diplomat.

"Peace rests on security. It is not based on good will or legitimacy as some think. It is based, first and foremost, on our ability to defend ourselves," he said at a ceremony marking the 109th anniversary of the death of Theodor Herzl, the founding father of Zionism.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to push through a "painful evacuation" of settlements as part of a final peace deal, a minister said Thursday just hours before the arrival of Washington's top diplomat.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was due in Jerusalem on Thursday evening for his fifth visit in as many months as he seeks to draw Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table after a hiatus of nearly three years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that the mere resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians would yield no results if both parties don't take the time needed to tackle the core issues.

The prime minister's remarks, made two days before the return of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on a mission to revive peace negotiations, appeared to reflect concern that any resumption of talks with the Palestinians could be short-lived.

Europe must take a firmer line with Iran over its controversial nuclear program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday at the start of a working meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

"We need to exert pressure on them. We're not talking about political spin but about the spinning of centrifuges," he said in remarks communicated by his office.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the world should keep up pressure on Iran to rein in its nuclear program and avoid thinking the election of a moderate president will bring change.

"The international community should not fall into wishful thinking and be tempted to ease pressure on Iran to stop its nuclear program," Netanyahu said at the start a meeting of his cabinet.

The presidential elections in Iran on Friday will bring about no significant change in Tehran's policies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Warsaw.

"These so-called elections taking place in Iran, well unfortunately, they will change nothing of significance," Netanyahu said Wednesday, adding the Tehran "regime will continue to be led by one man, one ruler (who) will continue Iran's quest for nuclear weapons."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced Wednesday to recall an official statement on the peace process which appeared to admit Israel's settlement building was unhelpful in reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

The reference was made in a joint Israeli-Polish declaration which was to have been read out following a meeting in Warsaw between Netanyahu and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk later the same day.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel has foiled five suicide bombings and many other "terrorist" attacks since the start of the year.

Shin Bet, the domestic security service, and the army had prevented the bombings and 30 attempted kidnappings of soldiers, Netanyahu told visiting Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.