The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates landed in Israel on Sunday ahead of a summit hosted by Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid that will also feature the top diplomats of Morocco and the United States.
During the meeting, dubbed the Negev Summit, representatives of a host of U.S. allies in the Middle East will address several pressing regional issues, chief among them the nuclear threat posed by Iran as Washington and world powers are holding talks to revive a 2015 pact to rein in Tehran's nuclear program.
2 View gallery
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid meets UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in Israel ahead of Negev Summit
(Photo: GPO)
Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Amira Oron called the summit "historic" and stated that relations between Jerusalem and Cairo have recorded a "very significant development" over the past two years, led by the Foreign Ministry.
Delegations from each country would meet over the evening to discuss issues such as strategic and economic cooperation, as well as energy and resources.
The main meeting featuring the foreign ministers will take place at 10am Monday local time.
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem where he urged the United States to heed calls against the removal of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from the U.S. terrorism blacklist.
"We're concerned about the intention to delist the IRGC," Bennett told visiting Blinken. "I hope the United States will hear the concerned voices from the region, Israel's and others, on this very important issue."
Speaking to reporters after the meeting Bennett said the Middle East was changing for the better and his government was cultivating old ties and building new bridges to overcome what he called "dark forces," and for a better future.
"Israel was a source of peace, stability and prosperity and was all about doing good," Bennett said.