US, Mideast allies show unity in Israel amid Iran worries
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Middle East allies showed unity at a rare Israeli-hosted summit on Monday, hoping to allay their misgivings about an emerging Iranian nuclear deal and Washington’s commitment to the region.
The foreign ministers of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt attended the summit in Sde Boker – where the founding Israeli prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, is buried.
Blinken arrived Sunday in Israel in a visit for four days of meetings, including a historic summit with Israel and the foreign ministers of four Arab countries.
“The (region’s) moderates are convening to talk and to form a front against the extremists,” Gil Haskel, an official with Israel’s Foreign Ministry, said referring to Iran’s hardline Islamist rulers.
“There are nuances, different perspectives being discussed or argued about, there is some agreement about some issues and less so about others – but there’s no doubt in this room around the table that Iran must not be nuclear.”
Speaking in Jerusalem alongside his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, Blinken said on Sunday that restoring a 2015 nuclear deal was the best way to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani described the discussions as helpful to fend off Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah. “Of course, part of this process will be renewed efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” he added.
On March 23, a summit was held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt included Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed, UAE’s de facto ruler, it was the first time the three countries’ leaders to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, with talks focused on a joint defense strategy against Iran, according to Israel media outlets.
The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, three Arab nations are part of the so-called Abraham Accords brokered by the Trump administration in 2020 to normalize ties with Israel.