At the end of an unprecedented summit that will become a permanent forum, the diplomatic leaders of the US, Israel, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates showed their commitment against Iran, despite the imminent reactivation of the Agreement nuclear crisis in 2015. Antony Blinken and his Arab counterparts also defended the “two-state solution” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a tepid mention that contrasts with the absence of Palestinian representation at the meeting.
At the close of an unprecedented meeting on March 28, dubbed the ‘Négev Summit’, the diplomatic chiefs of the United States, Israel, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates showed unity to confront Iran, awaiting the possible revival of the nuclear deal.
The photo and joint statement appeared to respond to the main purpose of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s two-day tour of Israel and the Palestinian West Bank. Aware of the concerns of his allies in the Middle East, the senior official sought to send a message of reassurance: “As neighbors and, in the case of the United States, as friends, we will also work together to face common security challenges and threats, including those of Iran and their representatives”.
Behind closed doors, Israel and the four Arab nations share the fear that the reinstatement of the 2015 pact between Iran, the United States and other world powers will not prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, while a lifting of international sanctions could strengthen military activities. Iranians in the region and their support for militant groups.
In this scenario, the Bahraini Foreign Minister, Abdullatif Al-Zayani, stated that the need for cooperation became “more urgent” in the face of the recent attacks by the Houthi rebels in Saudi Arabia.
Apart from the position against Iran, the six diplomatic leaders highlighted the unusual nature of the meeting, “impossible” a few years ago according to Blinken, but facilitated by the so-called Abraham Agreements, signed in 2020 under the Donald Trump Administration.
These pacts allowed the normalization of Israel’s relations with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, in the first instance, and then Morocco and Sudan (absent at the meeting) joined. Egypt, meanwhile, is the Arab nation with the longest diplomatic ties with Israel.
Yair Lapid, Israeli Foreign Minister, considered that “history was made” with the meeting and announced that the summit will become a permanent annual forum, in which the countries will be able to strengthen their alliance, based on “technology, religious tolerance, security and intelligence cooperation.
The Israeli diplomat also opened the doors “to the nations of this region, including the Palestinians” to join future meetings. Hardly a tepid invitation within the framework of a summit that, beyond public declarations, left aside the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, without Palestinian representation
Although Iran was the common opponent of these six states, the Palestinian question occupied more space in their closing speeches. Echoing among foreign ministers – and despite the fact that Antony Blinken made it clear that the Abraham Accords “do not replace a peace process with the Palestinians” – all advocated reviving the two-state solution as a way to end the conflict, today more Israeli-Palestinian than Arab-Israeli.
“We stress the importance of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the importance of maintaining the credibility and viability of the two-state solution. It is an important issue,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said.
However, the absence of Palestinian representation at the Summit in the face of an image of US, Arab and Israeli regional union does not seem likely to contribute to resuming negotiations that ceased to be serious more than a decade ago. Furthermore, they should now overcome the Palestinian political vacuum and the indifference of Israel, whose Prime Minister Naftali Bennett opposes a Palestinian state.
As much as the Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, invited “the Palestinians and all the peoples of the region” to join the forum, and as much as the Biden Administration has urged to reduce tensions and create the best conditions for dialogue Israeli-Palestinian, both recognized that it will not be something immediate.
In this sense, and for now, the path that the current Government of Israel has chosen is economic. On March 27, he announced before Blinken that he will increase employment authorizations for Gaza workers in the Jewish state from 12,000 to 20,000, with the strategy of providing “stability” and improving the economy of Palestinians in the Strip and the West Bank.
While on the Palestinian side only Jordan, whose government declined to appear in the Negev, supported Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this day. Without mentioning the Summit, King Abdullah II ruled that “the region cannot enjoy security and stability without a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian problem.”
The ‘Négev Summit’, overshadowed by a new attack
Another point shared in the statement was the condemnation of the armed attack that occurred on Sunday in the city of Hadera, located between Tel Aviv and Haifa. There, two Arab-Israeli citizens opened fire on a main street, killing two border policemen, a man and a woman, both 19 years old. Later, the assailants were killed by the security forces.
The attack was claimed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State and is the second perpetrated by sympathizers of the jihadist group in a week. On Monday, March 21, a Bedouin knifed and killed four civilians in the southern city of Be’er Sheva.
At the beginning of the joint speech, Yair Lapid assured that “we will continue on our path, that of peace” and affirmed that “I am not alone in this, everyone here shares that feeling”, referring to his five counterparts.
In turn, each of the diplomats deplored the event, extended condolences to the families of the victims and stressed the importance of maintaining unity to stop terrorism.
Sde Boker, a venue full of symbolism
The so-called ‘Négev Summit’ took place in the Sde Boker kibbutz, located in the middle of the southern Israeli desert and recognized for being the place of retirement and burial of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding father and who occupied the prime minister for the first time.
Blinken accompanied Lapid to visit Ben-Gurion’s tomb, a tour that was avoided by Arab foreign ministers, citing scheduling reasons. The photo of the Arab diplomats in that place would have meant another affront to the Palestinians, who hold the Israeli chief executive responsible for the ‘Naqba’, the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948.
Thus, the United States Secretary of State closed an intense two-day visit with which he aimed to revitalize Washington’s interest in the Middle East. A mission that will expand to North Africa, with trips to Morocco and Algeria, countries where he will hold meetings over the next two days.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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