King Abdullah of Jordan met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Monday, August 7, at a time of diplomatic tensions between both Palestine and Jordan and Israel.

The visit comes after a deadly shooting at the al-Aqsa Mosque complex on July 14, in which an Arab-Israeli shot two Israeli police officers, controversially sparking heightened security at the complex, and another security incident at the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan, on July 23, in which an Israeli security guard shot dead two Jordanians, leading to a diplomatic row between Jordan and Israel.

Haaretz reported a statement by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki in which he said the meeting led to the formation of a joint Palestinian-Jordanian team aimed at improving coordination between the states after the recent al-Aqsa controversy.

The visit is the first for King Abdullah to the West Bank since 2012. Credit: President Mahmoud Abbas via Storyful