AMMAN -- Jordan's King Abdullah II flew to Egypt on Tuesday for talks with President Hosni Mubarak on the violence in the Palestinian territories and the upcoming Arab Summit, a palace official said.

Abdullah is expected to leave for Egypt in the early afternoon for a brief visit that will focus on "the situation in the Palestinian territories", the official told AFP.

Abdullah and Mubarak "will also coordinate positions ahead of the Arab Summit" which is due to take place in Beirut on March 27-28, as well as other developments in the region, the official added.

The visit coincides with growing support for a Saudi peace initiative calling for Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for the Jewish state's total withdrawal from occupied land.

Israeli President Katsav has offered to visit Riyadh or receive Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz in Jerusalem to discuss the plan.

Jordan's pro-government ***Al Rai*** newspaper, in a commentary published Tuesday, said the Egyptian-Jordanian summit and the Saudi initiative were "timely" in light of the dangerous Israeli military escalation against the Palestinians.

Egypt's ambassador to Jordan Mohamed Hijazi meanwhile told ***Al Rai*** on Tuesday that Abdullah and Mubarak will discuss ways of ending the Palestinian-Israeli violence and lifting Israel's blockade on Palestinian land.

Jordan and Egypt have denounced an Israeli decision to ban Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat from leaving the West Bank town of Ramallah where he has been under virtual house arrest since December.

Abdullah is also expected to brief Mubarak on his talks earlier in February with U.S. President George Bush, who is scheduled to host the Egyptian president at the White House on March 5.

Abdullah is the acting president of the Arab Summit, which last convened in Jordan in March 2001.