His Majesty King Abdullah II on Thursday received US Vice President Joseph Biden for talks on the situation in the Middle East especially efforts to overcome obstacles hindering progress on the ground towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution that constitutes a prerequisite for regional security and stability.

King Abdullah emphasised during the meeting, the need to put an immediate end to Israeli unilateral actions that jeopardise opportunities for peace, especially settlement construction and other measures that seek to change the identity of Jerusalem and threaten its holy sites.

King Abdullah reiterated Jordan's condemnation of the Israeli government's decision to build new settlement units in East Jerusalem. He noted that continued Israeli provocative measures that are rejected by the international community undermine the peace process and expose the region to the threat of entering a new cycle of violence.

His Majesty, who also hosted Biden for a private dinner, underlined the centrality of the US role in efforts to achieve peace. He also commended US President Barack Obama's commitment to peace as a national interest of the United States, noting that achieving the required progress in peace efforts requires a leading US role.

King Abdullah stressed the need for concerted efforts to create the environment that is conducive to peace, otherwise the whole world will pay the price of a stalled process in light of Israeli unilateral measures that jeopardise the opportunity to establish a Palestinian state - a prerequisite for regional security and stability. His Majesty stressed that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the core conflict in the region.

He emphasised that wasting the available opportunity to achieve peace will undermine chances of establishing a Palestinian state and push the region towards new cycles of conflict and violence.

King Abdullah stressed the need for practical steps to ensure progress towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict within a regional context that guarantees comprehensive peace in the region.

His Majesty and Vice President Biden also discussed bilateral cooperation ties and means to expand them especially in the economic field. King Abdullah stressed his keenness to expand and strengthen relations between the US and Jordan and expressed appreciation for US support for Jordan's economy.

The meeting also touched on the results of Biden's meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders on efforts to achieve tangible progress in the peace process.