Monday’s trip comes as the two moderate leaders seek rapprochement with the Islamic militant Hamas and as Palestinians pursue statehood in a region riveted by the slide toward civil war in Syria and mounting unrest in Egypt.

Abbas is holding power-sharing talks this week with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, trying to end a political split caused by Hamas’ 2007 takeover of Gaza. Jordan expelled Hamas leaders from the country in 1999.

Abdallah, a critic of the deadlock in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, flew the short distance from his capital, Amman, by helicopter and went directly into talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abdallah is trying to open a new channel with Hamas following the rise in Jordan of Hamas’ parent movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, as part of anti-government protests sweeping the region.

Jordan’s Brotherhood has led pro-democracy protests across the country.

Mashaal is to visit Jordan soon for his first official visit since his expulsion.

It was Abdallah's first visit to the West Bank since 2000, when Abbas’ predecessor, the late Yasser Arafat, was still in power. Abbas, by contrast, faces a challenge from Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

“The visit comes in the context of Jordan’s support for the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people to achieve Palestinian national rights and an independent state,” a Jordanian palace official told Reuters on Sunday.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abdallah and Abbas would also “discuss the regional situation.”

Jordan shares a border with Syria, and Abdallah has called on its president Bashar Assad to end his crackdown on opponents and step down to avoid further bloodshed.

On Sunday, Abbas hosted US peace envoy William Burns, who was due to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday.

The Obama administration has worked to block a bid by the Palestinians to sidestep Israel by applying directly for full membership of the United Nations. Washington has also censured Israel for expanding its West Bank settlements.

Jordan is one of the few Arab countries to recognize Israel, though many of its populace are Palestinians descended from those displaced during the 1948 war of the Jewish state’s founding.

The Jordanian government fears further instability will lead to a new influx of Palestinians which could stretch already-scant resources and raise tension with Jordanians.