(JNS) The Biden administration said that while it hopes other countries will normalize relations with Israel, it doesn’t believe that such deals are a substitute for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“The United States will continue to urge other countries to normalize relations with Israel, and we’ll look for other opportunities to expand cooperation among countries in the region,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

Price, who reiterated that the Biden administration welcomed Monday’s agreement between Israel and Kosovo that was negotiated under the Trump administration, said that the administration’s hope is that they can contribute to progress toward Israeli-Palestinian peace.

“We hope that as Israel and other countries in the region join together in a common effort to build bridges and create new avenues for dialogue and exchange, these efforts contribute to tangible progress toward the goal of advancing a negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” he said.