AMMAN (Reuters) – Jordan’s King Abdullah called on Israel yesterday not to block moves to relaunch Middle East peace talks by continuing to build settlements in the West Bank.

The king told US envoy George Mitchell that Israel should not miss the opportunity to make peace with its Arab partners, state news agency Petra reported.

“There is a need to prevent any Israeli plan that seeks to disrupt the launch of peace talks by imposing facts on the ground and continuing settlements and unilateral measures that end the chances of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state,” he was quoted as saying.

Jordan and its pro-US Arab allies, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, hope US President Barack Obama will continue to pressure Israel to freeze settlement construction on West Bank territory, which Arabs say is a prerequisite for negotiations.

“His Majesty stressed the importance of the United States playing a leading role in these negotiations and putting mechanisms that ensure they arrive at a two-state solution within a specific time frame,” the king was quoted as telling Mitchell.

Earlier on Thursday, Mitchell met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

“The United States is asking all the parties — Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab states — to take responsibility for peace through concrete actions that will help create a positive context for the relaunch of negotiations,” Mitchell told reporters in Cairo.

Mitchell met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and will meet him again today.