US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday night spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Productive call with Netanyahu to discuss regional developments,” Blinken tweeted after the phone call.
“I reiterated our strong support for a negotiated two-state solution and underscored the urgent need for Israelis and Palestinians to take steps to restore calm and our opposition to escalatory unilateral measures,” he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Blinken spoke to Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, which he also described as “productive” in a tweet.
“I reaffirmed our commitment to a negotiated two-state solution and opposition to policies that endanger its viability. Israelis and Palestinians must take steps that restore calm including avoiding escalatory unilateral measures,” wrote the Secretary of State.
The conversations come ahead of an expected vote at the UN Security Council on a resolution that will criticize Israel over its construction in Judea and Samaria.
The State Department made clear on Thursday that the United States would not back the resolution, but did not commit to the US using its veto power against the resolution.
Top US legislators have called on President Joe Biden to unequivocally block any action against Israel at the UN and to order the US ambassador to the UN to veto the resolution.
The US has traditionally used its veto power in the Security Council when it has attempted to pass anti-Israel resolutions, though the Obama administration in 2016 did not veto a Security Council resolution against Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria.