TEL AVIV - Israel's prime minister says he'll press for direct talks with Palestinians during his upcoming White House visit. Benjamin Netanyahu is to fly to Washington on Monday and to meet with President Barack Obama the following day. Netanyahu said Sunday the main goal of the discussions will be to move toward direct peace talks with the Palestinians. The US has been shuttling between the Israelis and Palestinians since May. The Palestinians have been reluctant to engage with Israel directly without an Israeli pledge to halt all settlement construction. Israel was not willing to make that public pledge, though it has slowed construction in the West Bank and disputed east Jerusalem.