Israel, Morocco, UAE begin readying for next meeting of Negev Summit in spring
U.S. says the Arab-Israeli forum could prove beneficial for Palestinians
A delegation of senior Israeli officials departed for Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning to prepare for the next meeting of the Arab-Israeli Negev Summit that will be held in Morocco in the spring.
The Negev Summit, held for the first time in Israel's Sde Boker kibbutz last year, was a meeting between foreign ministers of Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United States. Another session was held in October via Zoom. It aims to implement the principles enshrined in the Abraham Accords in joint initiatives and projects in areas as diverse as regional security, energy, tourism, education and water security.
Meanwhile, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price referred to the Negev Summit in his press briefing on Friday, saying that member states established several working groups focused on six key areas relating to regional cooperation. The official said that the forum could be beneficial for Palestinians and for efforts to resolve the long-raging Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The working groups, Price said, “seek to advance coordination initiatives among the founding members of the forum on regional integration, cooperation, and development for the benefit of the peoples of the region, including of course initiatives that would strengthen the Palestinian economy and improve the quality of life of the Palestinian people.”
“The Negev Forum process is about building bridges and creating opportunities,” he said.