King Abdullah II of Jordan and US Vice-President Mike Pence discussed the possible relocation of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during a meeting at the vice-president's residence yesterday.

Pence welcomed the king's views on the potential change involving the US embassy and reiterated that the US is at the early stages of its decision-making process on the question, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said.

Neither Spicer nor a statement from the White House about the meeting provided details about what the king said.

Just days after Trump took office, a report in an Israeli newspaper said that the White House was "at the very beginning stages" of discussing relocating the embassy.

The Islamist Hamas movement, the group in charge of Gaza since 2007, reacted by warning that the US would be "exceeding all red lines" if it moved its embassy.

Israel Radio reported last week that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked Jordan for help in opening a direct line of communication with the Trump administration.

Spicer said Pence and King Abdullah also discussed ways to accelerate the US-led military coalition's efforts to defeat Islamic State and promote a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

They also discussed how best to make progress towards a comprehensive agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, a White House statement said.

Spicer said President Donald Trump expects to greet the king on Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event attended by politicians and religious leaders in Washington.

- dpa