Jerusalem - Nasser Al Asaad
Israeli President Shimon Peres and Jordan's King Abdullah II discussed ways to push forward with the peace process and the chances of resuming Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The meeting came after King Abdullah warned that "the opportunity to achieve a settlement on the basis of a two-state solution will only be available until the end of US President Barack Obama's second term."
Speaking at the Forum, the Jordanian king said that security in the Middle East rests on ending the conflict. He said that the results of the recent Israeli elections should enhance the desire for peace and security in the hearts of all Israelis, adding that the Arab peace initiative still offers the right track to achieve peace based on the two-state solution.
On Tuesday, Britain said that the prospects of a two-state solution are "almost dead," due to the expansion of Jewish settlements in occupied territories, and warned Israel of losing the support of the international community.
Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke as Israelis voted in an election likely to yield a right-wing government.
Settlement talks stalled in 2010 after Palestinian objections to continued settlement construction. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Palestinians need to return to talks without any preconditions.