The steering committee of the Negev Forum established last year, bringing together Israel and Arab states, opened two days of meetings in Abu Dhabi on Monday, with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt and the United States participating but with Jordan declining to participate in the gathering.
The Monday meeting is the third time that the Negev Forum has convened after a June encounter in Bahrain and a virtual one in October. The participating senior officials are now preparing for the second Negev Forum summit of foreign ministers, expected to take place in Morocco this spring.
