As the latest sign that strained relations between Israel and the United States are easing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited to meet U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday in Washington.

Mark Regev, spokesman of Israeli Prime Minister Office, told Xinhua on Sunday that visiting U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell has given Netanyahu an official invitation to meet with Obama during Netanyahu's tour to the United States.

The prime minister has accepted the invitation, Regev said, without giving further details.

Netanyahu is slated to leave for Washington Sunday night with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to attend a policy conference held by American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a U.S. pro- Israel lobbying group.

Besides the U.S. president, Netanyahu will meet with other top figures of the Obama administration, including U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Other than a letter bearer, Mitchell is on a visit to the region aiming at pushing forward the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He held a talk in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon with Barak to discuss issues concerning the negotiations.

During their meeting, Mitchell reiterated the close ties between the two countries, describing American commitment to Israel's security as "unshakeable and unbreakable."

He also emphasized the "shared goal" of the United States and Israel on the proximity talk and "the resumption of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, in an environment in which they can result in an agreement that ends the conflict and resolves all permanent status issues."

Both Mitchell and Barak expressed their willingness to see a U. S.-brokered indirect talks launched immediately.

"It is our hope that indirect talks get started right away and will lead to direct talks as soon as possible," said Barak.

The U.S. envoy, who had been scheduled to arrive here last week to kick start the Israeli-Palestinian indirect talks, postponed his visit last Tuesday amid a diplomatic spat between the United States and Israel.

The U.S.-Israeli relations became sour after the Jewish state gave green light to a 1,600-housing-unit plan in East Jerusalem during Biden's visit last week.

Israeli government's decision threatened to nip the newly- resumed peace process in the bud, with enraged Palestinians vowing not to enter talks before Israel cancels the building program.

The Obama administration, whose peace efforts were embarrassed by the building plan, bombarded Israel with harsh criticisms, and has been pressing Israel to reverse the project and take other concrete steps to promote the peace process.

In a bid to quell speculation and media hype about a "crisis" between the two traditional allies, the United States has started to tune down in recent days, especially after Netanyahu gave Washington promises to take "trust-building" measures to persuade the Palestinians to enter the talks.

Netanyahu has sent a written document to Clinton on Saturday, proposing a number of goodwill gestures, which are likely to include releasing Palestinian prisoners, removing checkpoints in the West Bank, and loosening blockade on Gaza.

However, the Israeli prime minister reaffirmed in his speech during a Sunday cabinet meeting that his government will not budge on its construction policy.

"Our policy towards Jerusalem is the same policy of all Israeli governments in the past 42 years and it has not changed," said Netanyahu.