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Preparations continue for next Negev Forum summit in Morocco, possibly in March. Following last summer’s meeting in Bahrain’s capital Manama, member state delegations will meet in Abu Dhabi to continue preparations for the summit.
senior official from Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Egypt, Bahrain and the United States Key issues within the Arab-Israeli alliance will be addressed in the UAE capital, including food security and water technology, clean energy, tourism, healthcare, education and coexistence, and regional security.
first working group meeting #NegevForum Starting in Abu Dhabi with the participation of the six founding nations
🇦🇪🇧ðŸ‡ðŸ‡ªðŸ‡¬ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡±ðŸ‡²ðŸ‡¦ðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¸ pic.twitter.com/1wrNjltZU4
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (@MoFAICUAE) January 9, 2023
According to reports axiomU.S. and Israeli officials explained that the purpose of the meeting was to Propose specific projects that will promote regional integration and cooperation“We need to demonstrate to the people of the region that these meetings really mean something to them and that we can accomplish what matters to the people,” a State Department official said.
The source also stressed that after the first Negev summit, it was “important to show” that the meeting was “Not just a meeting”“We are creating an infrastructure and a process through which we can deliver tangible results in a meaningful way for the people of the Middle East,” the source said.
.@StateDeptSpox: Today and tomorrow, a large delegation of senior U.S. government officials will attend the first U.S.-China meeting. #NegevForum The working group in Abu Dhabi, together with representatives from the governments of Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Morocco and the UAE. pic.twitter.com/1G4HlDSbs1
— State Department (@StateDept) January 9, 2023
The inaugural summit of the Negev Forum will take place on March 27-28, 2022 at Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Israeli desert. historic meeting This is the first time the foreign ministers of Morocco, the UAE, Israel, Egypt and Bahrain have met on Israeli soil. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also attended the summit.
Goals of the Negev Summit Further strengthen ties between Israel and Arab countries Strengthen cooperation on key issues such as regional security.In this regard, by Iranhas been highlighted both in its nuclear ambitions and in its support for armed groups in the region.
.@you say Acting Assistant Administrator Andrew Preeter will represent the United States at #NegevForum Tourism working group meeting. We will continue to work with our regional partners to achieve tangible results and create opportunities to bring people together across the region. https://t.co/okS5S10o8U pic.twitter.com/U7SJFP9F85
— USAID Middle East (@USAIDMiddleEast) January 9, 2023
Saudi Arabia and Jordan, future members of the Forum?
The US and Israel hope that other Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, will join the forum in the future. “The government has made it clear that normalization is a strategic objective that we are working towards,” A U.S. official told axiom About Saudi Arabia and Israel.
While normalizing relations between the two countries is a priority for Washington, Riyadh continues to insist Israeli-Palestinian peace process needs progressThe head of Saudi foreign affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, even admitted that in the future “there will be a full normalization with Israel,” which the Saudi minister said would “bring great benefits.” However, he also stressed that “unless the Palestinian issue is not resolved, they will not be able to obtain these benefits”. despite this, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signs Abraham Accords and opens airspace to Israel.
On the other hand, Jordan, the only Arab country with official diplomatic relations with Israel, did not participate in the forum, and the reason for its absence was lack of palestinian representation During the meeting.
The United States and Egypt have repeatedly proposed to the Palestinian Authority to join the Forum Working Group, But Palestinian officials have so far declined the invitation.
Ben-Gvir’s visit to Temple Mount did not affect Forum preparations
Itamar Ben-Gvir’s recent controversial visit, Israel’s state security minister, the corniche to the Temple Mount or the mosque has caused tension between the Hebrew state and its Arab neighbours. Ben-Gvir, a member of Israel’s new government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, has drawn strong international criticism for his decision. Even the United States, Israel’s historical ally, condemned the minister’s visit to the Temple Mount, the site of frequent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.
More on minister Ben-Gavier’s visit to Temple Mount despite threats of reprisals by Palestinian factionshttps://t.co/7Wv3w2Sc5d pic.twitter.com/pthBxTJCoh
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) January 3, 2023
The United Arab Emirates, one of the Arab countries that have deepened ties with Israel since the 2020 Abraham Accords, described Benqwir’s visit to the Corniche as “assault” And called for the issue to be dealt with in the UN Security Council.
Sen. Cruz rebuffs Biden’s condemnation of Itamar bin Gavier’s visit to Temple Mount — and Israel’s plan https://t.co/b4lorc2ipN pic.twitter.com/2cGwnyHJSD
— Robert Spencer Robert Spencer 🇺🇸 (@jihadwatchRS) January 6, 2023
Negev Forum members Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco also condemned what happened. However, despite criticism and tension, Ben-Gvir’s visit did not affect Forum preparations or influence working groups. This was confirmed by a senior Israeli official axiom and American sources times of israel“There are other forums or other avenues to address recent events, but this has not affected preparations,” they said.
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