Rabat – Morocco has reportedly decided to cancel its plans to host the second ministerial gathering of the Negev Forum due to its stance against Israel’s recently announced settlement plans in the occupied West Bank in Palestine.
The Times of Israel quoted Israeli and US officials, who confirmed the news on Tuesday.
The Negev summit, which was scheduled to take place in March, has been delayed at least five times. Israeli media attributed the latest postponement of the to to a recent surge in tensions between israelis and Palestinians as well as the “discomfort among Arab participants [of the Negev summit] over Prime Minister Benjamin Neanhyahu’s new hardline government.”
A US official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Times of Israel that Rabat had agreed to host the meeting, although a specific date has not been finalized for the event. “But then came a pair of Israeli statement moves on Sunday that derailed the process once again,” noted the American official.
On June 18, Israel’s government approved plans for the construction of housing units in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu ratified the move this past Sunday, allowing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to bypass measures regarding the construction of settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.
The Israeli government’s open condoning of the illegal settlements, which are against international law, comes at a politically charged point due to Israel’s ongoing violent attacks and raids against Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
Despite its decision to re-establish ties with Israel in 2020, Morocco has continued to emphasize its support for the Palestinian cause and legitimate rights of Palestinians, including their right to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The North African country notably supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In addition to Morocco, the US and many other countries have expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s settlement plans.
“We call on the Israeli governments to fulfill the commitment it made in Aqaba in Jordan and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt – and conduct a dialogue aimed at preventing escalation,” a US State Department spokesperson said, stressing that the US opposes the expansion of settlements and unilateral actions that constitute an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution more difficult to achieve.
Meanwhile, there have been reports in the Israeli media that the US may have been behind the latest postponement of the Negev summit. According to the Israeli news website Ynet, the postponement of the high-stakes summit signals Washington’s displeasure with new Israeli settlement plans in the occupied West Bank.
