Israel summit to bring together top Arab diplomats and Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco will attend a series of diplomatic meetings in Israel starting on Sunday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a North Atlantic Council meeting during a NATO summit to discuss Russia’s incursion in Ukraine, at the alliance’s headquarters, Thursday, March 24, 2022 in Brussels.
Israel has said it would host the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit.
"At the invitation of Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, this upcoming Sunday and Monday ... a historic diplomatic summit will be held in Israel," the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
A series of diplomatic meetings starting on Sunday would be attended by Blinken and his counterparts from the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, the ministry said, without giving further details.
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 agreements — reached under former US president Donald Trump — broke with decades of Arab consensus that there would be no relations with Israel while the Palestinian question remains unresolved.
But the Arab countries said they were motivated by economic benefits of ties with Israel.
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At the invitation of FM @yairlapid, this Sunday & Monday (27/3 & 28/3) a historic diplomatic summit will be held in Israel.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) March 25, 2022
U.S. Secretary of State, @SecBlinken and the Foreign Ministers of the UAE, Morocco, and Bahrain will arrive in Israel for a series of diplomatic meetings.
Impact of Ukraine-Russia conflict
In Israel, Blinken plans to speak with Israeli officials about their efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
Israel has walked a fine line between Russia and Ukraine since hostilities began last month.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has expressed support for the Ukrainian people but stopped short of condemning Russia's incursion, and in recent weeks has served as a mediator.
Blinken will also update the diplomats on the status of talks aimed at reviving Iran's nuclear deal.
Israel was strongly opposed to the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers and welcomed Trump's decision to unilaterally withdraw from it.
Israel has warned against reviving the agreement and says it will not be bound by any new deal. Russia is also a party to the Iran talks.
Efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian dialogue will also be on the summit's agenda.
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