JERUSALEM: Israel's new prime minister spoke to the Palestinian president yesterday for the first time since taking office, telling him that he seeks close cooperation to drive peace efforts forward.

Talk of cooperation alone, however, is unlikely to satisfy the Palestinian leadership, which wants Israel's new government to make an unambiguous endorsement of the idea of an independent Palestinian state.

While repeatedly saying he wants peace with the Palestinians, Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to support the internationally backed idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel since taking office as premier on March 31.