RAMALLAH, West Bank -- A Palestinian official says the U.S. is seeking to bring Arab countries into efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in the coming weeks.

Yasser Abed-Rabbo, a top official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, says that "U.S. efforts will increase in coming weeks and will include other Arab parties, such as Jordan and Egypt."

Abed-Rabbo told a local radio in the West Bank on Monday that an Arab League delegation will visit Washington as part of these efforts.

Israel has said it's ready for immediate talks, while the Palestinians say Israel must first freeze settlement building on lands it captured in 1967, which Palestinians want for their future state.

During his visit to Mideast last week, President Barack Obama sided with the Israeli view.