The Negev Summit Steering Committee met on Monday in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, with Israeli, Arab, and American officials in attendance.
Alon Ushpiz, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shared images from the conference, in which officials from Israel, the United States, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates participated (UAE).
Ushpiz stated on Twitter, “Working together to realize the full potential of the Abraham Accords in our region.”
He continued, “Through the Negev Summit, we are producing a meaningful and good change in energy, health, food & water security, regional security, and so much more.”
However, the Israeli ambassador did not divulge the names of the meeting’s attendees.
In March of last year, the Negev meeting was convened at the level of foreign ministers.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Negev summit “would become an ongoing process based on six working groups: food and water security, energy, health, education and tolerance, tourism, and regional security.”
The purpose of the meeting will be to decide the procedure of the working groups. The meeting will also act as a precursor to the scheduled visit of the US president to the Middle East, according to the statement.
Mid-July will see Vice President Joe Biden traveling to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia.
In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan signed agreements sponsored by the United States to normalize relations with Israel, a move the Palestinians condemned as a “betrayal” of their cause.
