His Majesty King Abdullah and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday discussed the dangerous escalation in Gaza and its surroundings, as well as the need to push the Palestinians and the Israelis towards committing to self-restraint.

In a phone call with the UAE president, King Abdullah reaffirmed the need to step up joint efforts of de-escalation, highlighting the importance of joint action to prevent the exacerbation of the situation, and to avoid dangerous repercussions on efforts to reach comprehensive calm, as well as on regional security and stability.

His Majesty expressed appreciation of the UAE’s pivotal efforts, especially at the United Nations Security Council, in containing the situation and halting escalation.

The phone call also covered efforts to communicate with regional and international partners to galvanise urgent action for de-escalation and protecting the region from the impact of a new cycle of violence.