Benjamin Netanyahu talks with Joe Biden amid Israel-US row

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke overnight with US vice president Joe Biden, his office said amid a simmering row between the two allies. 

Netanyahu's office confirmed the conversation, first reported in the New York Times, but gave no details of the substance of the talks.

The row erupted when Washington, frustrated by the lack of success for its peace brokering, reacted angrily last week to an Israeli announcement that 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers would be built in east Jerusalem, the mainly Arab half of the Holy City that was annexed after being captured in 1967.

The move came two days after the United States convinced the Palestinians to take part in indirect "proximity" talks with the Israelis, and during a visit to Jerusalem by Biden aimed at encouraging peace efforts. 

Netanyahu is due to visit the United States next week to speak at a meeting of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby. 

Israeli public radio reported Netanyahu would likely meet with Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the trip.

Officials in Netanyahu's office said nothing had been confirmed but they were "trying to set up meetings with congressional leaders and senior officials in the administration."