Israel hosts landmark summit

(JNS) — Israel will host a landmark summit on Sunday night and Monday that will include the top diplomats from the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will host the conference, the foreign ministry said on Friday.

It will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

The foreign ministers will arrive beginning at the Isrotel Kedma Hotel in Sde Boker and will have dinner together. Monday morning, meetings will be held between the foreign ministers and at their conclusion, statements to the press will be given.

The three Arab countries scheduled to attend were all part of the Abraham Accords signed in the fall of 2020.

The announcement follows a U.S. State Department notification on Thursday that said Blinken would be traveling to the Middle East and North Africa, including stops in Israel, the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria.

The summit comes amid the backdrop of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine and negotiations for a new Iran deal.

It will also take place less than a week after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.