US President Joe Biden expressed support for a "compromise" and "compromise" on a controversial overhaul of Israel's judicial system during a phone call on Sunday, a White House statement said.
In his first statement on the issue, the US president said the reforms must respect what he called "core democratic values".
The White House said Biden "underscored his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship."
The US president also spoke of the need for checks and balances and seeking broad support when making fundamental changes.
"The president has offered to support ongoing efforts to compromise on proposed judicial reforms consistent with those fundamental principles," the White House said.
The Israeli prime minister's office reported that Netanyahu assured Biden that Israel would remain a "strong and vibrant democracy."
The two men also discussed tension and violence in the West Bank, and Biden reiterated his country's commitment to Israel's security and continued cooperation between the two sides in confronting all Iranian threats and expanding the circle of peace, according to a White House statement.
The Israel Broadcasting Corporation noted that Netanyahu also discussed with Biden details of Sunday night's attack in the town of Huwara, in which an Israeli settler with US citizenship was wounded.
Netanyahu stressed that Israel would continue to act everywhere against what he called "terrorists and terrorist planners," as he claimed.
Netanyahu is seeking changes in the judiciary that would give his government more leverage in choosing judges and limit the Supreme Court's power to overturn legislation.
Critics of the planned changes say Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges and denies, is adopting steps that would damage Israel's democratic checks and balances, enable corruption, and lead to diplomatic isolation. Proponents see the changes as necessary to curb what they see as judicial interference in politics.
The plan to "reform" the judiciary has sparked 11 weeks of popular demonstrations in Israel, and on Sunday hundreds of reservists from elite military units and intelligence services announced they had joined the ranks of the protesters.