His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday said the international community needs to take immediate and effective steps to protect the holy places in East Jerusalem from Israel's unilateral measures.

These serious, provocative measures seek to alter the city's real identity and threaten all efforts to achieve peace in the region, King Abdullah said during a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In his meeting with Abbas, the King cautioned that Israel's provocative actions and aggression against Al Aqsa mosque would have dangerous repercussions. He also said that Jordan denounces Israel's recent announcement that it will add the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Bethlehem's Bilal Ben Rabah Mosque to a list of Israeli heritage sites.

The King's talks with the Palestinian president also addressed ongoing efforts to resume Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations on the basis of the two-state solution, within a specific time frame and in accordance with international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The King also stressed Jordan's support for the Palestinian National Authority in its efforts to realise the rights of the Palestinian people, especially the right to establish an independent and viable Palestinian state on Palestinian national soil.

During the meeting, Abbas briefed the King on the outcome of his recent visits to several European and Arab countries to advance the peace process.

Speaking to the press following his meeting with King Abdullah, Abbas seconded the King's condemnation of Israel's decision to designate the holy sites in Hebron and Bethlehem as Israeli heritage sites, warning that such actions added a dangerous religious dimension to the conflict.

“I clearly stated in Europe that it is as if Israel is waging a religious war in the region,” Abbas said, underlining the need for coordination with the Arab Follow-up Committee and Arab leaders.

Replying to a question on the international community's response to the recent Israeli provocation, Abbas said the international community should prevent Israel from committing these acts and not limit itself to denouncing them, especially as the US is playing the role of peace broker.