He also pledged US support for a viable Palestinian state and put his full weight behind indirect talks the Palestinians reluctantly agreed to hold with Israel after a 14-month hiatus.
"I promise you, Mr President," he said, turning to Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, "the United States will also stand with those who take the risks that peace requires."
Speaking to journalists after his talks with Abbas, Biden strongly condemned Israel's green light for the construction of 1,600 settler homes in annexed Arab east Jerusalem, which was announced while he held talks with Israeli leaders on Tuesday.
"As we move forward, the United States will hold both sides accountable for any statements or actions that inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome of talks as this decision did," he told journalists in Ramallah, the political capital of the occupied West Bank.
"Our administration is fully committed to the Palestinian people and to achieving a Palestinian state which is viable and contiguous," Biden said.
