Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who's scheduled to visit the United States next week, said on Thursday he will continue to keep Israel's "vital interests" amid pressure to accept a draft framework agreement with the Palestinians.

"Next week, I will fly to the United States to discuss the diplomatic issue," Netanyahu told a financial conference in Tel Aviv, according to a statement from his office.

"In the past five years, we have navigated the ship with responsibility and wisely while pushing back pressures and keeping the vital interests of Israel intact," Netanyahu said. "We have done so and we will continue to do so."

There have been media reports that US President Barack Obama will push Netanyahu to accept the framework agreement US Secretary of State John Kerry has been working on for the past several months.

Obama is also slated to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in April in Washington, and try to convince him as well to accept the draft framework agreement, with the hopes of introducing the draft officially by the end of April.

On Wednesday, Kerry said in Washington that the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians will likely proceed beyond the original deadline of April.

Israel and the Palestinians resumed peace talks last July after a three-year halt.

The renewal of the talks was made possible amid incessant efforts by Kerry, who had visited the region 10 times in the past year in an attempt to reach an historical accord.