Rabat – Israel is planning to hold a second regional forum with various Arab leaders, in time for US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East, Axios reported on Tuesday.
Two Israeli officials told the American news website that the Israeli government and the White House are currently in talks to hold a regional summit when Biden visits at the end of June.
The talks are still preliminary and it is unclear if such a meeting will be possible, Axios said, adding that the White House declined to comment on the news.
Biden’s visit to Israel is reportedly planned to be a short one, as it would last between 24 and 36 hours, which would make hosting a summit more challenging.
The trip would be Biden’s first one to the region, but it is unclear whether he’ll be visiting other countries too.
The forum would include participants from the Negev Summit, which was recently attended by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and representatives from Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, and the US.
The summit ended with the leaders pledging to expand more effort into security and economic cooperation in the future.
There have been some tensions between Israel and its new Arab allies, however, as many of them condemned the country for its recent attacks on Al Aqsa mosque and the continued violence against Palestinians.
Morocco summoned Israel’s Charge d’Affaires to inform him of the country’s condemnation of Isareli forces’ raid on the mosque, with Bourita stating that it is a result of systematic discrimination against Palestinians.
Read also: Morocco Summons Israel’s Charge d’Affairs over Al-Aqsa Attacks
With America seemingly taking a back seat from the Middle East, the summit can be a way for Biden to show his supporters and regional leaders that his country is still invested in the peace process in Palestine, as well as other regional issues, says Axios.
