Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians may resume soon.

Addressing the prestigious Herzilya Conference on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu said the global community is aware Israel wants peace negotiations to restart. That, he said, could push the process forward.

"I have reason to hope realistically that in the coming weeks we will restart peace talks with the Palestinians without preconditions," Netanyahu told the assembly.

The Israeli prime minister gave no further details, but indicated Washington would be involved.

Meanwhile, Palestinians are insistent that unless construction in the West Bank is stopped, peace talks will not resume.