Jordan king warns Israel of ‘massive conflict’

Jordan's king warned Israel of a "massive conflict" if it proceeds with plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank, as European Union foreign ministers agreed to step up diplomatic efforts to try to head off such a move.

Israel has promised to annex Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley, which could spell the end of the long-stalled peace process by making it virtually impossible to establish a viable Palestinian state.

Jordan's King Abdulla II, in an interview published by Der Spiegel on Friday, issued a stark warning over Israel's plans.

"Leaders who advocate a one-state solution do not understand what that would mean," he said.

"What would happen if the Palestinian National Authority collapsed? There would be more chaos and extremism in the region. If Israel really annexed the West Bank in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," he said.

Jordan is a close Western ally and one of only two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. Abdullah declined to say whether annexation would threaten that agreement.

Jordan has been lobbying the EU to take "practical steps" to make sure annexation does not happen.

At a video conference, EU foreign ministers reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution and opposition to any annexation. The ministers, whose countries are deeply divided in their approach to Israel, agreed to ramp up diplomatic efforts in the coming days with Israel, the Palestinians, the US and Arab countries.

The new Israeli agreement says the Israeli government can, from July 1, begin considering implementing the West Bank annexations detailed in US President Donald Trump's Middle East plan.

Unveiled in January, the controversial plan gives a green light for Israel to annex about a third of the occupied West Bank, leaving the Palestinians with heavily conditioned statehood in scattered territorial enclaves surrounded by Israel.

The EU has rejected Trump's plan.