Israel, Arab allies agree to tighten cooperation ahead of Biden visit
Senior diplomats from Israel, the US, and regional Arab allies agreed to increase efforts to improve security, stability and prosperity in the Middle East during a Negev Summit follow-up meeting in Bahrain on Monday.
The first meeting of the Negev Summit Steering Committee — consisting of Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt, Morocco, and the US — is “especially important in light of US President Joe Biden’s expected visit in Israel and Saudi Arabia, and America’s commitments to widen the circle of peace,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the meeting.
Biden is slated to visit Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia on July 13-16.
“It was an important milestone,” an Israeli diplomatic official said on Monday.
“It is part of an ongoing effort to build what we like to call a regional architecture, which is both military and civilian in its character, with a meaningful American presence,” he said.
Read More: Times of Israel