Amman - Jordan's king Abdullah II Monday called US President George W Bush to urge an international effort to force Israel to halt its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, a royal court statement said.

"The two leaders discussed the developments of the situation in the Gaza Strip, with the king stressing the need for launching an effective move to stop the Israeli aggression and end the sufferings of the Palestinian people," the statement said.

The telephone conversation with Bush came during efforts by Abdullah over the past 48 hours to secure an end to the Israeli attacks.

Thousands of Jordanians staged demonstrations across the Kingdom on Monday for the third day in a row to protest the Israeli offensive and express solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza.

One of the demonstrations, which was staged by trade unions and opposition parties, ended outside the Prime Ministry in Amman, where participants delivered a message addressed to Premier Nader Dahabi calling for "the abrogation of the peace treaty" which Jordan concluded with Israel in 1994 and "dismissing" the Israeli ambassador from Amman.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires in Amman and handed him a "strongly worded" protest that also urged an immediate cessation of the Israeli attacks. (dpa)