Israel says Negev summit to become regional forum

JERUSALEM

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Monday that the Negev summit held with Arab foreign ministers will be turned into a permanent forum.

The summit concluded earlier Monday with the participation of the foreign ministers of Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, and the United States.

"History isn't written; history is made,” Lapid told a joint press conference with all six diplomats. “What we are doing is building history, a regional architecture based on tolerance and security cooperation," he said.

"This new architecture, the shared capabilities we are building, intimidates and deters our common enemies – first and foremost Iran and its proxies," Lapid added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington and other participating countries in the summit "will work together to confront common security challenges and threats, including those from Iran and its proxies."

"Just a few years ago, this gathering would have been impossible," Blinken said.

The chief US diplomat also vowed to work on a vision for the Palestinians and Israelis to enjoy "equal measures of freedom, of opportunity, security, of dignity."

Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, for his part, described the summit as an opportunity to achieve global stability and security.

He also condemned Sunday’s shooting attack in Hadera city in northern Israel, which resulted in the death of two Israeli police officers.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Naser Bourita reiterated his country's support for the two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israelis with East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said their talks during the summit focused on the importance of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

"We stressed that the two countries (Palestine and Israel) should live together side by side in peace," he added.

For his part, Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed underlined his country's support for efforts aimed at achieving peace, security, stability, and development in the region.

Bin Zayed noted that more than 300,000 Israelis visited the UAE in the past year and a half.

In 2020, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan signed US-sponsored agreements to normalize relations with Israel, in a move decried by the Palestinians as a “betrayal” of their cause.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara