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Israel hosting historic six-way US-Arab meeting Israel says partnership with Arab League allies will deter Iran
(about 5 hours later)
Three Arab League states normalised relations with Israel for the first time in 2020Three Arab League states normalised relations with Israel for the first time in 2020
Foreign ministers from four Arab League countries, along with the US secretary of state, are holding an historic meeting in Israel. Israel's foreign minster says deepening ties with friendly countries from the Arab League will "first and foremost" help counter the threat from Iran.
It is the first time the ministers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Morocco and Bahrain will meet their Israeli counterpart in his home country. He was speaking after a summit held in Israel for the first time with top diplomats from Arab League countries and the US.
It comes after they normalised relations with Israel for the first time during the past year-and-a-half. Three of them - the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Morocco - formed ties with Israel only in 2020.
The foreign minister of Egypt is also joining the talks. The foreign ministers pledged to continue to develop the partnership.
Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel, in 1979, though relations between them have often been cool. The Arab League diplomats, along with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Egypt's foreign minister, also reiterated their support for a peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. All back the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel as part of that, something Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has ruled out.
The six top diplomats arrived on Sunday at a hotel in Sde Boker in the Negev desert in southern Israel and will hold talks on Monday. The Palestinian foreign ministry called the summit "a harsh attack against the Palestinian people", although it did not directly accuse the Arab League participants, the Times of Israel reported.
As they gathered, two Israeli Arab gunmen launched an attack in the northern Israeli city of Hadera, killing two policemen and wounding six people. The gunmen were shot dead by counter-terrorism officers. The Islamic State group said it carried out the shooting. As the ministers gathered at a hotel in Israel's Negev desert on Sunday night, two Israeli Arab gunmen launched an attack in the northern Israeli city of Hadera, killing two policemen and wounding six people. The gunmen were shot dead by counter-terrorism officers. The Islamic State group said it had carried out the attack.
"All the foreign ministers condemned the attack, sent their condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded," said Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid. The foreign ministers condemned the killings of the Israeli officers, with Morocco's saying the summit was "the best response" to such attacks.
The summit in the Negev coincides with a tour of the region by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. After the meeting on Monday morning, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the delegates had agreed to make the event "a permanent forum".
He is visiting Israel, the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria on a five-day trip for talks on issues including Russia's war on Ukraine, tensions with Iran and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "What we are doing here is making history, building a new regional architecture based on progress, technology, religious tolerance, security and intelligence co-operation. This new architecture, the shared capabilities we are building, intimidates and deters our common enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies."
Mr Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. On Monday Mr Bennett's spokesperson said the prime minister had tested positive for coronavirus after meeting Mr Blinken.
The Israel-US talks are taking place at a time of growing Israeli fears that the US is on the brink of signing a new agreement with Iran to curb its nuclear programme in return for an end to crippling US-led sanctions.
Former US President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 global nuclear deal with Iran and restored sanctions in a move which led Iran to significantly advance its nuclear activities which had been barred by the accord.
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Meanwhile the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, visited Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday in his first such trip since 2017. Mr Blinken also held talks with Mr Abbas on Sunday, where he reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and for increasing funding to the Palestinians.
Earlier in the day, Mr Blinken met Prime Minister Bennett in Jerusalem, following which Mr Bennett's spokesperson said the prime minister had tested positive for coronavirus.
The Israel-US talks took place at a time of growing Israeli fears that the US is on the brink of signing a new agreement with Iran to curb its nuclear programme in return for an end to crippling US-led sanctions. It is also concerned that the US will remove Iran's powerful Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) from its list of terrorist groups as part of a new nuclear deal.
Former US President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 global nuclear agreement with Iran and restored sanctions in a move which led Iran to significantly advance its nuclear activities which had been barred by the accord.
Israel says it believes a new deal will be weaker than the previous one and enable Iran to intensify its military activities across the region.Israel says it believes a new deal will be weaker than the previous one and enable Iran to intensify its military activities across the region.
Israel also fears that the US might remove Iran's powerful Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) from its list of terrorist groups as part of a new nuclear deal.
The IRGC, it says, has helped sustain the wars in Syria and Yemen and bolstered anti-Israel militant groups in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Mr Blinken has also taken a different approach to the Israel-Palestinian issue to Mr Bennett. He supports the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, something resolutely rejected by the Israeli prime minister.
Talks will also focus on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Israel having taken a lead role as a mediator in the conflict.
Israel has good relations with both Ukraine and Russia, and Mr Bennett has held several face-to-face meetings and telephone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of efforts to end the month-long war in Ukraine.