Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is hopeful of a compromise on the row over Jerusalem settlements after talks in Washington.
He boarded his plane back to Israel talking of a "golden way" to revive Mid-East peace talks but there was no official comment from the White House.
Mr Netanyahu met President Barack Obama and held last-minute talks with Mid-East envoy George Mitchell.
Neither he nor US officials gave details of what was discussed.
The row over Israel's plans for homes in occupied East Jerusalem has caused one of the worst crises in US-Israeli ties for decades.
 There were no photo calls with President Obama |
The White House had reportedly been trying to persuade Mr Netanyahu to commit to several trust-building measures to revive hopes for indirect "proximity talks" between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Palestinians pulled out of moves towards talks two weeks ago, after Israel unveiled plans to build 1,600 homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Ramat Shlomo.
The project was approved during a visit by US Vice-President Joe Biden - a move which Washington initially branded an insult.
Extended visit
Scant information on the content of Mr Netanyahu's negotiations has emerged and rarely has so little been said about such high-level meetings, lasting so long, between the US and one of its closest allies, says the BBC's Richard Lister in the US capital.
Mr Netanyahu was quoted by news agencies as saying he thought a "golden" way had been found to move the peace process forward while preserving Israeli interests.
However, the Israeli daily Haaretz quoted him as saying that Israel was "trying to find the golden path".
Israeli sources quoted by Reuters news agency said Mr Netanyahu could not finalise any confidence-building measures until he presented them to his cabinet.
US officials speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press news agency said the talks had not ended tensions over Israel's construction in East Jerusalem.
Mr Netanyahu had extended his stay by hours to work on a deal but the talks with Mr Mitchell ended at about 2000 (0100 GMT) on Wednesday without any announcements, one of the officials said.
Mr Mitchell had returned to the US following a meeting in the West Bank with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Earlier on Wednesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that President Obama had held "honest" talks with Mr Netanyahu, urging him to take steps to build confidence in the peace process.
Mr Gibbs added that the US was seeking "clarification" about the latest plans to build homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
Minutes before Mr Netanyahu's fence-mending visit to the White House on Tuesday, it emerged the Jerusalem municipal government had approved another development.
Twenty apartments are to be built for Jewish settlers on the site of an old hotel in the predominantly Arab neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Mr Gibbs told reporters on Wednesday there were areas of agreement and disagreement between the sides.
"The president has asked the prime minister for certain things to build confidence up to proximity talks that we think can make progress," Mr Gibbs said.
He reiterated the American position that there was an "unbreakable bond" between the US and the Israeli people.
The Israelis said there had been a "good atmosphere" during Tuesday's talks.
But the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington notes Mr Netanyahu did not get the reception usually reserved for America's allies.
There was no press conference, no lavish welcome, and the White House did not even release a picture of the meeting.
It all signals that the US is playing tough, making clear it is upset with the Israeli government, says our correspondent.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem for their future capital, but Israel insists the city cannot be divided.
Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
They are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
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