President Barack Obama will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday to try to relaunch peace talks.
Mr Obama will hold separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, before a joint meeting.
Efforts to restart the peace process have so far been blocked by disagreements over Israeli settlements.
A senior US official told the BBC that there was no expectation of an announcement after Tuesday's meetings.
He said the meetings are "clear sign of the President's personal commitment to this issue."
But he added that it was critical to put the discussions "in context".
"Nine months ago there was a war in Gaza," he said. "The Israeli government has only existed for five months.
"And now these three leaders are going to sit down in the same room and continue to narrow the gaps."
Mr Netenyahu's office issued a statement welcoming the invitation to talks and saying they would be held "without preconditions", Reuters news agency reported.
'Deep commitment'
The announcement of the meetings, which will take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, came after US envoy George Mitchell's latest round of shuttle diplomacy ended without agreement.
The White House said the meetings next week would continue efforts by Mr Obama, Mr Mitchell and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of negotiations".read more
