His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday warned that the Israeli stance on peace talks poses new risks to the security and stability of the Middle East.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Jay Solomon on Monday in New York, King Abdullah expressed concern about the future of the peace process if no efforts succeed in bringing the Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiating table in the coming couple of days.

The King, who is currently in New York heading the Jordanian delegation to the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, added that if no progress in the peace process is achieved soon, this will have a negative impact on all.

“If we can’t get the Israelis and Palestinians together in the next couple of days, then what signal is that for the future process? If we go back to the drawing board, I think we’d be back beyond that,” the King said.

On the Jordanian-Israeli relationship, the King said: “There is an unhealthy people-to-people relationship today because, although the benefit of peace is always peace, the inability of Israel to address the justice of the Palestinian problem has not come down well with the people, and Israel is being more and more difficult in coming to the table and finding an agreement that is acceptable to both sides.”

King Abdullah added that what is seen on the ground is the exact opposite of what Israeli officials announce. “They [Israeli leaders] are sticking their heads in the sand, pretending that there isn’t a problem,” he said.

Responding to a question about the situation in Syria, the King said the government is following up on the developments in the Arab state and their effects on the whole region.

“I discussed with Syrian President Bashar Assad the challenges facing the region and how we could be supportive in lessons learned, but at that point the Syrians weren’t really interested in what we had to say.”

The King outlined the reform process and the legislative and constitutional changes aiming ultimately at reaching parliamentary governments. “I think we are way ahead of the curve, because we have a plan…so we  have a new Jordan as quickly as possible.”