The three Arab countries scheduled to attend were all part of the Abraham Accords signed in the fall of 2020.
The diplomatic summit meeting will take place less than a week after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Israel is to host a landmark summit on Sunday night and Monday that will include the Foreign Ministers of the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will host the conference, the foreign ministry said. It will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
The Foreign Ministers will arrive at the Isrotel Kedma Hotel in Sde Boker, in the Negev, and will have dinner together. Monday morning, meetings will be held between the Foreign Ministers and at their conclusion, statements to the press will be given
‘’This is a very festive day. We are hosting the ‘Negev Summit’ here in Israel. The foreign ministers of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Morocco and Bahrain will arrive in Sde Boker for a meeting with Minister Lapid and Secretary of State Blinken,’’ said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the start of Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting.
‘’For those who have yet to notice, Israel’s foreign relations are experiencing a good period. Israel is an important player on the global and regional stage. We are cultivating old ties and building new bridges,’’ he said.
‘’Last week, the meeting with President El-Sisi and the Crown Prince from the UAE was a defining moment. Our oldest peace, with Egypt, met the newest peace, that of the Abraham Accords. We are all adding more and more content – diplomatic, economic and security – to these relations, which have existed for more than a few years, in order to forge links between the moderate states in the Middle East. I am pleased to see that this will also be continuing at the meeting in Sde Boker,’’ Bennett said.
‘’While we are discussing peace, there is a player that does not cease warmongering and lighting fires. We received another reminder of this over the weekend in the attack by the Houthis, who are managed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, against Saudi Arabia,’’ he said in a reference to Iran.
The three Arab countries scheduled to attend Sunday’s summit were all part of the Abraham Accords signed in the fall of 2020.
The United Arab Emirates forged diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 under a series of US-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords.
Bahrain and Morocco followed suit, while Sudan also agreed to normalise ties with Israel although it has yet to finalise a deal.
The announcement of the diplomatic summit in Israel follows a U.S. State Department notification on Thursday that said Blinken would be traveling to the Middle East and North Africa, including stops in Israel, the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria.
The US Secretary of State is due to hold talks with the Israeli premier before meeting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
Blinken is also due to visit Algeria and Morocco at a time when the region is reeling from the backlash over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The summit comes amid the backdrop of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine and negotiations for a new Iran nuclear deal.
It will also take place less than a week after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.