His Majesty King Abdullah has renewed a call to jump-start Mideast peace negotiations to result in the establishment of a viable and independent state on Palestinian national soil.

The solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians should come within a regional context that would see Israel withdraw from occupied Syrian and Lebanese lands and guarantee Israel's security, King Abdullah said.

In a wide-ranging interview with the London-based Arabic daily Al Hayat, the first part of which was published on Monday, the King said there must be a mechanism to ensure the negotiations are not a waste of time.

“If there was confidence that the negotiations will not be a waste of time [instead of] a new endless process where Israel changes realities on the ground in the West Bank and Jerusalem and makes the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible… then we would have overcome obstacles,” King Abdullah told Al Hayat Editor-in-Chief Ghassan Charbal.

“But if we maintain the status quo, then we should all expect chaos and more tension,” he added.

King Abdullah said Israel must stop all settlement construction, unilateral measures and policies that obstruct peace efforts. He said Israel should also enter into effective negotiations that build on what has been achieved and address final status issues within a specific time frame and in accordance with adopted references in order to reach the two-state solution as soon as possible.

He stressed that Jordan unequivocally opposes Israeli measures in Jerusalem that seek to change the identity of the city and threaten its holy sites, citing “excavation work, home demolitions [and] policies that aim to empty the city of its Arab Christian and Muslim residents”. These measures, he said, “undermine chances of peace and are opposed entirely”. “Jerusalem is a red line, and the Israelis should realise the significance of Jerusalem to Arabs, Muslims and Christians and should not play with fire,” King Abdullah said.

The King told Al Hayat that if a settlement freeze is not achieved before the start of negotiations, then there should be written American and international guarantees through the United Nations that the negotiations will address all final status issues, borders, Jerusalem and refugees, and lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital and within a clear time frame.

On the infiltration of Saudi Arabian land by Yemeni rebels (Houthis) and the ensuing clashes in the border area, King Abdullah reiterated his support for the Saudis' right to defend their borders, land and their citizens' safety.

“We are confident of our Saudi brothers' ability to protect their land and preserve their security and stability... We have no fears about Saudi Arabia's security and stability. I believe that under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Saudi Arabia is able to protect its land, and this is what is being done. Therefore, there's no fear about Saudi stability.”