Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that he would cooperate with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to push forward the stalemated peace process, reported local daily Ha'aretz.

During a phone conversation, the first held by the two leaders since Netanyahu took office two weeks ago, the second-term Israeli premier reminded Abbas of their past cooperation and pledged to make the same efforts in the future, said the report.

For his part, Abbas extended his good wishes for the traditional Jewish holiday of Passover, and stressed that the two sides should work together for peace.

Israel and the Palestinians resumed their long-stalled peace process at a US-hosted conference in Annapolis in late 2007, yet no tangible progress has so far been achieved.

As leader of the hawkish Likud party and Israel's whole right-wing bloc, Netanyahu traditionally holds a tough stance toward the peace process with the Palestinians, and the rightist dominance in his current ruling coalition has generated concerns over his government's willingness to continue the peace talks.

Yet recently, Netanyahu softened his stance on the historic conflict. Although he stopped short of committing himself to the two-state principle, which is widely backed by the international community, including Israel's main ally, the United States, the premier has repeatedly voiced intentions to pursue the peace track.