His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday called on Israel to spell out its position on Palestinian statehood and said Jordan will contact Israelis “in the coming stage” to help revive the peace process.

“In addition to regular contacts with the Palestinians, Jordan will contact Israelis in the coming stage to encourage the two sides to take trust-building steps and push the peace process forward. Jordan is ready to listen to the views of both sides and help them take action,” the King told top editors of Al Rai, The Jordan Times, Ad-Dustour, Al Arab Al Yawm and Al Ghad dailies at a meeting.

King Abdullah warned that the entire region, including the Israelis, will “pay the price” if the Palestinians do not establish a viable state.

“Next year will be decisive in the history and future of the Palestinian cause,” he said, adding that more international efforts were needed to resume peace negotiations and achieve tangible results.

King Abdullah said he was concerned about the current “tension” between Palestinian factions, which, he added, should be rational and responsible in dealing with their differences.

Warning that inter-Palestinian divisions “will open the way for foreign intervention and weaken Palestinian national unity”, the King said Palestinians should now set their priorities and focus on establishing an independent state.

He said several Arab countries back Jordan's efforts to revive the peace process, underlining that the Palestinian issue topped the agenda of his talks late last month with US President George W. Bush in Amman.

On Iraq, the King reiterated Jordan's support for restoring security and stability in the eastern neighbor, welcoming steps recently announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Maliki to include all segments in the political process.

He urged all Iraqi powers to take part in the ongoing national reconciliation process.

King Abdullah, meanwhile, warned against escalating disputes between political powers in Lebanon, calling on Lebanese to prevent attempts to “fan the fire in favor of certain interests that have nothing to do with Lebanon”.

Jordan supports Arab League endeavors as well as dialogue to defuse the crisis in Lebanon, the King said.

Domestically, King Abdullah said his main concern now was to alleviate poverty and unemployment and raise the living standards of citizens.

The King said he was “personally” seeking to enhance the capabilities of middle class and citizens on low-income, stressing that the government, Parliament and private sector have a responsibility to back his efforts.

The recently launched Mafraq Special Development Zone, he said, was “the first step towards realizing a model that would be applied in other districts”. He said two other similar zones were to be established in the northern and the southern regions.

The Jordan Times