At the end of talks in Aqaba, Israeli and Palestinian officials pledged to work to revive efforts to reach a “just and lasting” peace deal, saying on Sunday they would work closely together to prevent “new violence”, Reuters reported.

Israel pledged to halt “discussions of new settlements for four months and halt approval of new settlements for six months,” the joint statement said.

The announcement came at the end of a meeting involving US, Egyptian and Jordanian officials in the Jordanian city amid concerns about escalating violence ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins at the end of March.