His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he discussed challenges facing the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

King Abdullah emphasised that the critical stage in the region requires intensified efforts to achieve a two-state settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is the only way to bring security and stability to the region.

During the phone call with Netanyahu, who had earlier sent a verbal message to the King conveyed by Israeli social affairs minister, Isaac Herzog, the King reiterated that fulfilling the rights of the region's people first requires an appropriate environment for the continuation of direct peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis. He stressed the need for Israel to halt all unilateral measures, particularly settlement construction, which threatens direct talks.

King Abdullah warned that the people of the region will bear the consequences for the failure to achieve peace, which, he said, is conditioned upon establishing an independent Palestinian state living in peace and security next to Israel.

He said that the future of the region and its people depends on a prompt decision to continue direct talks that address all final status issues and achieve a two-state solution as soon as possible, in accordance with international terms of reference.