U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met face-to-face on Monday for the first time in more than a year in effort to squash their longtime discord and discuss solutions to reach peace between Israel and Palestine.

Tensions between the two leaders peaked earlier this year over the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal, which limits Iran's nuclear program for the next 10 years and lifts the nation's economic sanctions. However, on Monday, both men reaffirmed their commitment to seeking peace in the Middle East during a meeting at the White House, despite the fact that prospects for an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians appear to be dim.

"We don't have a disagreement on the need to making sure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon, and we don't have a disagreement about us blunting destabilizing activities in Iran that may be taking place," Obama said, according to The Associated Press. "So we're going to be looking to make sure we find common ground there."

Rather than brining up their differences, the leaders chose to focus on their shared interest, which includes negotiations on a new 10-year security arrangement that could lead to the U.S. sending Israel more military assistance.

"The security of Israel is one of my top foreign policy priorities," Obama said.

Obama also talked about "how we can get back on a path toward peace, and how we can make sure that legitimate Palestinian aspirations are met through a political process, even as we make sure that Israel is able to secure itself."

Likewise, Netanyahu declared his commitment to reach peace with Palestine and reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution, although he had rejected the idea earlier this year.

"I want to make clear we have not given up our hope for peace," he said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Following the meeting, the prime minister told reporters that the session was "one of the best meetings I've had with Obama," reports The New York Times. "The conversation was in very good spirits and very honest. No one hid the disagreements between us. Rather, we focused on how to go forward," he added.