Concluding two days of talks at a desert refuge where his father, founder David Ben-Gurion, is buried, Israel said the incident would be repeated and expanded as it builds trade and security ties with like-minded Sunni Arab countries. “This new architecture – the common ground we are building – is intimidating and deterring our common enemies, first and foremost Iran and its representatives,” said Secretary of State Yair Lapid, along with US counterparts Emirati, Bahraini, Moroccan and Egyptian. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Israel and some Arab countries are worried that an emerging nuclear deal with Iran would allow Persian-backed forces to build a bomb and bolster Tehran-backed rebels. The United States and other world powers see the resumption of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran as their best option. But US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken offered assurances to Washington’s regional allies in the event that diplomacy fails. “As neighbors and, in the case of the United States, as friends, we will also work together to address common security challenges and threats, including those from Iran and its representatives,” he said. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco are normalizing their ties with Israel as part of a 2020 US initiative known as the Abraham Accords. Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab state to make peace with Israel. Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and United Nations Secretary-General Nasser Bourita Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan posing for a photo during the Negev Summit in Sde Boker, Israel, March 28, 2022. Jacquelyn Martin / Pool via REUTERS read more Welcoming the agreements, Blinken added: “We must be clear that these regional peace agreements do not replace progress between the Palestinians and the Israelis.” Like the current Arab states, the United States wants a two-state solution, according to which the Palestinians will have a state along with Israel. Talks on the issue stalled in 2014. Israel has established much of the occupied West Bank, while the Gaza Strip, another Palestinian territory, is ruled by hardline Islamists. The cross-party coalition government of nationalist Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said the conditions are not right for any renewal of diplomacy with the Palestinians – who, in turn, have dropped the burden on Israel. “Unless the occupation ends, the Arab normalization talks are an illusion and a free reward for Israel,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told his cabinet on Monday. Jordan’s King Abdullah arrived in Ramallah to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the first such visit in years expected to focus on efforts to reduce regional tensions in the run-up to the holy month of Ramadan. Israel was devastated on Sunday by gunfire from two Arab nationals who had killed two police officers in line with Islamic State. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Burita said his presence with other Arab delegates at the Israeli-hosted summit was “the best response to such attacks.” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani described the talks as useful in repelling Iranian-backed groups such as Hezbollah. “Of course, part of this process will be renewed efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” he added. In another sign that the Allies are closing in on Iran, Israeli Ambassador to Manama Eitan Naeh said Monday that Israel would soon appoint a military attaché to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional references by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem. Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Ali Sawfta in Ramallah. Written by Dan Williams, edited by Ed Osmond, William Maclean, Philippa Fletcher Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
