Israeli officials meet Abraham Accords counterparts in Abu Dhabi ahead of Negev Forum summit

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Senior Israeli officials and their counterparts from Abraham Accords countries attended a two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi this week to prepare for the upcoming Negev Forum summit in Morocco later this year, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. High-level delegations from Egypt and America, including US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, also participated in the meeting.

The multilateral Negev Forum was inaugurated and successfully hosted by former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Israel last year.

Attending the preparatory meetings in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday this week were Israeli officials specializing in defense, health, tourism, intelligence, energy, economy, and education, TOI reports. The six Negev Forum working groups also prepared for talks on regional security, education and tolerance, water and food security, tourism, and energy.

In a statement, Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the Abu Dhabi meeting was “another step in advancing and deepening the Abraham Accords, and a joint response to joint challenges,” TOI reports.

Having full diplomatic relations with Israel, Jordan was invited to attend the Abu Dhabi meeting but declined to do so, TOI reports. While a Jordanian lawmaker recently said suicide bombers would attack Israel over a visit to the Temple Mount by Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir last week, Amman said this was not a factor in its declining of the invitation: Jordan did not attend last year’s Negev Forum either.

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