Story highlights Trump has expressed concerns regarding settlement activity

Netanyahu has been reluctant to stop settlement building

Washington (CNN) The United States is moving closer to agreement with Israel to limit settlement construction that could pave the way for an eventual resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, US, Israeli and Arab officials told CNN.

A White House statement issued Thursday night at the conclusion of four days of talks between Israeli and US officials in Washington indicated that the US expects that Israel will be curbing construction of housing in West Bank areas claimed by Palestinians for a future state.

The American delegation "reiterated President (Donald) Trump's concerns regarding settlement activity in the context of moving towards a peace agreement," the statement said. "The Israeli delegation made clear that Israel's intent going forward is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes those concerns into consideration."

US and Israeli officials said that Jason Greenblatt, Trump's special representative on peace negotiations, made clear during the talks, which built on another round of meetings in the Middle East earlier in the month, that the President wants Israel to slow settlement construction and doesn't want such activity to jeopardize efforts to restart the peace process.

The Trump administration has told Israel to build within the boundaries of existing settlements and not to establish new communities, according to the sources. Soon after Trump took office, Netanyahu announced that Israel would establish the first new settlement in some two decades.

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