ADDIS ABABA (REUTERS) - US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that he would pause and reassess what might be possible after failing to meet his April 29 goal for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, saying both sides still wanted to try to negotiate.

"Both parties still indicate that they feel it's important to negotiate and want to find a way to negotiate," Mr Kerry said, during a trip to Ethiopia.

"So we believe the best thing to do right now is pause, take a hard look at these things and find out what is possible and what is not possible in the days ahead."