These countries (click here) have experienced an increase in violence in the past weeks. Iran fired missiles at a US base in Kurdish Iraq, Erbil, the capital of that region. A civilian was injured, but, extensive property damage.
By David Horovitz
The speed with which the Sunday-Monday “Negev Summit” (click here) has been pulled together, the storied location, and the expanding list of participants, combine to underline the significance of this unprecedented get-together of foreign ministers in Israel.
Being hosted by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at Sde Boker, the Negev home and burial place of Israel’s founding prime minister David Ben-Gurion, the gathering at so resonant a locale constitutes further dramatic symbolic confirmation of Israel’s legitimacy and regional importance by Abraham Accords partners Morocco, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.
Their foreign ministers will, simply by their presence, be upgrading relations with the country Ben-Gurion was so central to establishing. There is even talk of a photo opportunity at Ben-Gurion’s grave....
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Twitter that he had updated the "Negev Summit" participants on the attack, adding that "all foreign ministers condemned the attack and sent their condolences to the families" of those killed.
According to Lapid, this was "an attempt by violent extremists to terrorize" Israelis. "Israel will not relent in its fight against terrorism," he added. "We will stand together with our allies against anyone who tries hurting us."
March 27, 2022
For Blinken and the Biden administration, (click here) the trip is largely dedicated to ensuring that all of its highly skeptical Middle Eastern allies understand its position on the Iran deal.
