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Israel will host a "historic" regional summit next week with participation of officials from the United States and other regional allies, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco will arrive in Israel to participate in meetings on Sunday and Monday, he said in a statement.
Lapid's statement comes days after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan met in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh - in what appeared to be an attempt to demonstrate a united front against the revival of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
According to Cairo, the three leaders also spoke about other regional and international issues - some of which are expected to also come up in the regional summit next week.
The three also spoke about Washington’s plans to remove the Revolutionary Guard from its notorious list as part of a series of concessions meant to revive the tattered 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.
The Syrian issue and the dramatic invitation of Syrian President Bashar Assad to the Emirates also reportedly came up in the tripartite meeting, as the Syrian president's possible return to the Arab League is considered a huge regional drama. At the moment the move has not happened due, in part at least, to Washington's objection.
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R-L, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
(Photo: WAM)
Shared concerns over Iran prompted the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to forge ties with Israel in 2020 in the form of the U.S.-led Abraham Accords.
The Gulf states - like Israel - were excluded from talks with world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear pact with Tehran which they have criticized for not addressing Iran's missiles program and regional proxies, including in Yemen.