ABU DHABI: Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned on Sunday against Israeli measures to annex the West Bank and expand settlements during talks in Abu Dhabi with the UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the escalating regional situation and stressed the need for continued coordination to support efforts toward de-escalation, stability and peace, according to the Jordan News Agency.  

King Abdullah also warned of Israeli violations against Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, which are under Hashemite Custodianship.

About 240 Israeli settlers entered the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection on Sunday to mark the Jewish New Year, the latest in a series of incursions into the compound in East Jerusalem.

The Jordanian king has warned in recent weeks against the regional conflict being used to impose new realities in the West Bank and Jerusalem. He called last month for joint Arab and Muslim action to counter Israeli measures, warning that continued escalation and attempts to annex territory risked widening the conflict.

His warning comes amid rapid settlement expansion and construction that have accelerated under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, alongside a surge in settler violence against Palestinians following the beginning of the recent conflict in October 2023.

The Israeli government has approved more than 100 new settlements in the West Bank since taking office in late 2022, amid warnings from governments, the UN, and rights groups that Israeli measures in the West Bank are undermining prospects for a two-state solution. Palestinians seek the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza for a future independent state.

During the meeting at Qasr Al-Shati, Sheikh Mohamed and King Abdullah also discussed strengthening economic, trade and development cooperation between their countries.

Their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the UAE’s first with an Arab country, entered into force in May 2025 and aims to increase bilateral non-oil trade to more than $8 billion by 2032.

Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan were among the senior officials attending the talks.