Israeli, US, Arab 'Abraham Accords' partners meet in Abu Dhabi ahead of Negev Summit

The United Arab Emirates hosted a meeting on Monday in Abu Dhabi between Arab, Israeli and American delegations to steer the upcoming Negev Forum.

Delegations from six of the forum’s member countries - the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, the USA and Israel - attended the meeting.

The meeting comes less than two weeks after Israel swore in one of its most right-wing governments in history, which contains politicians with a history of making racist, inflammatory remarks about Palestinians, and praising Israelis who murder them.

הבוקר באבו דאבי 🇦🇪 מפגש של ועידת ההיגוי של "פורום הנגב", בהשתתפות משלחות מ-6 המדינות החברות: איחוד האמירויות הערביות, בחרין, מצרים, מרוקו, ארה"ב וישראל

המשלחת הישראלית, בהובלת מנכ"ל משרד החוץ, אלון אושפיז, כוללת נציגים ממשרדי הממשלה הבאים:

1/3 pic.twitter.com/7JLovBqUqe

— משרד החוץ (@IsraelHebrew) January 9, 2023

"At the meeting, which opened today, the delegations will prepare the summit of foreign ministers of the Negev Forum, which is expected to take place in the coming months in Morocco," the Israeli foreign ministry said of the meeting.

"In this framework, the working groups will formulate a list of projects in the fields of health, regional security, education and tolerance, water and food security, tourism and energy," the ministry added.

The first Negev Forum was held in March last year in Israel. The forum was founded "as part of the process of implementing the Abraham Accords", according to the Israeli foreign ministry.

It drew widespread condemnation from Palestinians, who criticised Arab officials’ presence and labelled it a "stab in the back".

Morocco, Bahrain and the UAE have all established diplomatic ties with Israel after signing the Abraham Accords brokered by then-US President Donald Trump in 2020.

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, with Jordan agreeing to a peace deal in 1994.