Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected "international dictates" of a French-led UN resolution laying out parameters for peace talks with Palestine.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, on a two-day visit to the Middle East, urged Israel not to prejudge his efforts and warned of the dangers of continued stalemate.

Mr Fabius wants to see the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which collapsed in 2014, relaunched through an international support group comprising Arab states, the European Union and UN Security Council members.

Mr Netanyahu, in public remarks to his cabinet, said the international proposals did not take into account Israel's security needs.

"In the international proposals that have been suggested to us - which they are actually trying to force upon us - there is no real reference to Israel's security needs or our other national interests," Mr Netanyahu said.

"They are trying to shunt us toward indefensible borders, ignoring what will happen on the other side," he said, referring to his often-stated argument that militants would take over areas vacated by Israel unless strong security arrangements were negotiated.

"The only way to reach agreements is through bilateral negotiations [between Israel and Palestine], and we will firmly reject attempts to force international dictates on us," Mr Netanyahu said.

His remarks, made hours before he was to host Mr Fabius, were widely interpreted in Israel as directed at France's proposals.

Mr Fabius sought to respond to such concerns after his meeting with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, saying France would avoid imposing a solution "that no one would accept".

"We must both guarantee Israel's security and at the same time give Palestinians the right to have a state," Mr Fabius said.

Mr Fabius said the conflict could be "set ablaze" if there was no movement toward peace.

France has so far focused with Arab states on a possible UN Security Council resolution that would set negotiating parameters and establish a timeframe, possibly 18 months, to complete talks.

Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki voiced support for the French initiative.

"[Palestinians] need a commitment from the major powers and those with a direct interest," he said.

In December, the United States voted against a Palestinian-drafted resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the establishment of a Palestinian state by late 2017.

But this month, US president Barack Obama said the absence of a peace process and the conditions raised by Mr Netanyahu for Palestinian statehood would make it hard for Washington to continue to defend Israel at the United Nations.

Mr Netanyahu sparked international concern when he ruled out the establishment of a Palestinian state while campaigning for the March 17 general election, though he has since backtracked.

Iran nuclear deal unclear as deadline looms, France says

Meanwhile, Mr Fabius said it was still not clear whether a world powers deal could be reached on Iran's nuclear program by a June 30 deadline.

In bilateral talks, Mr Netanyahu urged Mr Fabius to stand firm on an agreement that Israel has criticised for not guaranteeing Tehran will not obtain a nuclear bomb.

Mr Fabius said any nuclear deal with Iran must be verifiable as he prepared to meet his Iranian counterpart.

"We think that we must be extremely firm and that, if an agreement is to be reached, that agreement must be robust," Mr Fabius said.

"That means that it must be able to be verified.

"At the stage where we are now, things are still not clear."

European foreign ministers will meet their Iranian counterpart Mohamed Javad Zarif on Monday.

Iran and the P5+1 powers - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - agreed in April on the main outlines of what would be a historic agreement scaling down Tehran's nuclear program.

Some have argued that a window of opportunity may arise after the conclusion of the Iran talks for France to submit a resolution at the United Nations.

They argue that the United States would be unlikely to support moves beforehand that could impact negatively on the nuclear negotiations.

Reuters/AFP