US, Israeli, Arab officials meet in Bahrain as part of Negev summit
Negev summit held last March at level of foreign ministers
JERUSALEM
The Negev Summit Steering Committee convened Monday in the Bahraini capital, Manama, with the participation of Israeli, Arab and American officials.
Alon Ushpiz, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted photos from inside the meeting, with the participation of officials from Israel, the US, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Working together to translate the full potential of the Abraham Accords into reality in our region,” Ushpiz said on Twitter.
“Through the Negev Summit, we are creating a real and positive change in energy, health, food & water security, regional security and so much more,” he added.
The Israeli diplomat, however, did not mention the names of the participants in the meeting.
The Negev summit was held last March at the level of foreign ministers.
In a statement on Sunday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the Negev summit “would become an ongoing process based on six working groups: Food & water security, energy, health, education & tolerance, tourism, regional security.”
The goal of the meeting “will be to determine the working groups’ process. Beyond this, the meeting will also serve as a milestone ahead of the US President’s expected visit to the Middle East,” the statement reads.
US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia in mid-July.
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 Bassel Barakat
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