Boris Johnson has said Donald Trump’s vision for Middle East peace “has the merit of a two-state solution” and would “ensure Jerusalem is both the capital of Israel and the Palestinian people”.

Speaking in the House of Commons, on Wednesday the Prime Minister said: “No peace plan is perfect, but this has the merit of a two-state solution. It would ensure Jerusalem is both the capital of Israel and the Palestinian people."

Aiming his remarks at outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Johnson said: “I would urge him rather than being so characteristically negative to reach out to his friend, my friend, our friends in the Palestinian authority, to Mahmoud Abbas – for whom I have the highest respect – and urge him for once to engage, to get talking rather than to leave a political vacuum.”

The US president unveiled his long-awaited proposals alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House on Tuesday, insisting they offered a “win-win” opportunity for both Israel and the Palestinians.

A Downing Street spokesman confirmed Mr Johnson and Mr Trump had discussed the proposal for peace on Tuesday which could prove “a positive step forwards”.

In the Commons, Mr Corbyn hit back, saying Trump’s plan “will not bring any move towards peace, has no support from any Palestinian anywhere in the world”.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged the Palestinians to give the plans "genuine and fair consideration and explore whether they might prove a first step on the road back to negotiations".

Mr Raab added: “A peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians that leads to peaceful coexistence could unlock the potential of the entire region, and provide both sides with the opportunity for a brighter future.

“Only the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian territories can determine whether these proposals can meet the needs and aspirations of the people they represent.

“We encourage them to give these plans genuine and fair consideration and explore whether they might prove a first step on the road back to negotiations.”

In a statement, Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and former Middle East peace envoy, appeared to call for the Palestinians and Arab governments to sit down and negotiate over the deal.

“The Palestinians do not need to signal acceptance of the plan, but to engage with the American government and demand the improvements to it they wish to see,” he said.

“The risk of non-engagement with the American administration is that the possibility of realising the two-state solution becomes ever more distant.”

In a statement on Wednesday the Board of Deputies Marie van der Zyl said: "We would ask the two sides to find ways around their differences and work towards a future that allows for the flourishing of both peoples.”