U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended a seven-hour meeting in New York Thursday, without any immediate breakthrough in resuming the stalled direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pose for photographers before their meeting in New York, November 11, 2010. [Xinhua]

A joint statement issued after Thursday's meeting said the extended discussions focused on "creating the conditions for the resumption of direct negotiations" with the Palestinians.

Clinton and Netanyahu "agreed on the importance of continuing direct negotiations (with the Palestinian Authority) to achieve our goals," the statement said.

"The United States believes that through good-faith negotiations, the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state, based on the 1967 liens, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent development and meet Israeli requirements," the statement quoted Clinton as saying.

"The discussions between the prime minister and the secretary focused on creating the conditions for the resumption of direct negotiations aimed at producing a two-state solution," the statement said. "Their teams will work closely together in the coming days toward that end."