Jordan’s King Abdullah Monday stressed the need for the establishment of the Palestinian state in talks with US President Joe Biden in Washington.

According to the official Jordanian news agency (Petra), Abdullah II emphasized the need for the Palestinian people to attain their legitimate rights and establish their independent, sovereign and viable state based on the June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Petra said that Abdullah’s meeting with Biden touched upon several issues, with the Palestinian question as the top item on the agenda.

Jordan’s monarch, the first Arab world leader to meet face-to-face with Biden, also emphasized that serious and effective Palestinian-Israeli negotiations must be initiated to being about just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.

Focusing on the recent developments in Jerusalem, that have witnessed intensified forced expulsions of Palestinians, Abdullah II underscored the need to maintain the historical and legal status quo in the city, particularly at Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Haram al-Sharif, as well as his country’s continuing historic role in safeguarding the Islamic and Christian holy sites in line with its continuing custodianship over the sites.

He expressed appreciation of the US administration’s steps with regard to the Palestinian question, including the resumption of financial aid worth $318 million to the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).