Negev Summit 2022

The opening roundtable begins at the Negev Summit, as Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, clockwise from left, makes opening remarks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, March 28, 2022, in Sde Boker. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

May 3, 2022, 4:53 pm

As Israel, US prep for Biden visit, second regional forum reportedly being weighed

US president expected in late June; according to Axios, White House looking to build on ties forged during March’s Negev Summit, though plans are not concrete

By TOI staff and Jacob Magid

After meeting for the Negev Summit, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaks with United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday, March 28, 2022, in Sde Boker, Israel. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

April 14, 2022, 5:09 pm

UAE insists it welcomes regional initiatives that include Palestinians

After ToI reported Abu Dhabi is unenthusiastic about bringing PA into Abraham Accords, Emirati diplomat say his country is happy to work with US, Ramallah

By Lazar Berman and Jacob Magid

United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, makes remarks at the Negev Summit, with from left, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, March 28, 2022, in Sde Boker, Israel. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

April 14, 2022, 12:18 am

US aims to fold Palestinians into expanded cooperation between Israel, Arab states

Effort an uphill battle as PA welcomes effort to boost regional standing, but not in context of Abraham Accords; UAE and Bahrain less enthusiastic and Israel not fully on board

By Jacob Magid

Israel's special envoy on climate change, Ambassador Gideon Behar, at the first-ever UN Middle East and North Africa regional conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 28, 2022. (Sue Surkes/Times of Israel)

March 31, 2022, 2:09 pm

Daily Briefing March 31: Biden sends support to Bennett; climate talks in Dubai

US correspondent Jacob Magid discusses president’s phone call with PM, plus more on the Negev Summit, and environmental reporter Sue Surkes reviews her visit to the UAE

By TOI staff

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens to a question during a news conference, at the US Embassy in Algiers, Algeria, March 30, 2022,. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

March 31, 2022, 12:46 pm

Blinken stumps for normalization with Israel in visit to Algeria, which opposes it

Touting Abraham Accords, US secretary of state says ties will have practical benefits, expects other countries to notice advantages and seek to join in

By Jacob Magid

Right wing activists wave Israeli flags during a protest against Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, following a recent wave of violence, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (AP/Oded Balilty)

March 31, 2022, 2:52 am

US ‘stands firmly’ with Israel amid terror spurt, Biden tells Bennett

Leaders talk by phone about importance of regional partnerships, as exemplified by Negev Summit, White House says, making no mention of Iran or Palestinians

By Jacob Magid

A body is removed from the site where a terrorist opened fire in Bnei Brak, Israel, March 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

March 30, 2022, 2:00 pm

Daily Briefing Mar. 30: Deadly terrorist attack as region tries to shore up security

Political correspondent Tal Schneider and Arab affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman on the victims and perpetrator of last night’s shooting spree, as well as Negev Summit endnotes

By TOI staff

(From right) Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed. Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, and Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, sit down for dinner at Kedma Isrotel in Sde Boker, March 27, 2022 (Egypt MFA)

March 29, 2022, 5:03 pm

For staff at hotel that hosted Negev Summit, ‘food security’ was the biggest concern

The Kedma at Sde Boker only found out it would be hosting the six-way event a few days before; it ran smoothly, once the security protocol for food preparation was established

By Lazar Berman

After meeting for the Negev Summit, Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, center left, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, shake hands with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, front left, and United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, front right, March 28, 2022, in Sde Boker, Israel. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

March 29, 2022, 2:54 pm

Daily Briefing March 29: What happens next, after Hadera attack and Negev summit

Times of Israel editor David Horovitz and religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent Judah Ari Gross discuss deadly terror, Sde Boker confab, the Western Wall and MK Alon Tal

By TOI staff

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud speak to reporters at the State Department in Washington, Oct. 14, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)

March 29, 2022, 10:53 am

Blinken calls Saudi FM hours after Arab foreign minister summit in Israel

State Department says Iran nuclear program, Yemen discussed; kingdom’s state media says US secretary of state spoke with Prince Faisal on regional security cooperation

By TOI staff and Agencies

March 29, 2022, 6:44 am

For Israel, the Negev Summit was all about Iran. For other participants, not so much

Foreign diplomats involved say Tehran wasn’t what brought them to Sde Boker, as each country has its own concerns that justify participation in first-of-its-kind gathering

By Jacob Magid

A Kedma Isrotel hotel worker carries flags out of the Negev Summit after its conclusion, March 28, 2022. (Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

March 29, 2022, 3:48 am

At Negev Summit, allies calmed somewhat by US recommitment to the region

The Biden administration clearly can’t quit the Middle East, and though determined to sign a deal with Iran, it is once again playing an active role

By Lazar Berman

March 28, 2022, 3:53 pm

Rather than deter Arab FMs in Israel, Hadera terror seems to bolster their resolve

While Lapid speaks of ‘making history,’ his UAE counterpart says he wants to correct it — to make up for 43 years of ‘lost time’ since Egypt broke the Arab taboo on peacemaking

By David Horovitz

After meeting for the Negev Summit, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, left, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, and United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, pose for a photograph Monday, March 28, 2022, in Sde Boker, Israel. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

March 28, 2022, 3:24 pm

Announcing permanent regional forum, Israel, Arab states laud alliance, decry terror

At Negev Summit, Lapid says Iran and proxies ‘certainly have something to fear’; diplomats from US, Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain highlight necessity of advancing peace with Palestinians

By Lazar Berman and Aaron Boxerman

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (R) welcomes King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) accompanied by Crown Prince Hussein (C), ahead of a meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank, on March 28, 2022. (ABBAS MOMANI / AFP)

March 28, 2022, 2:32 pm

Jordan’s King Abdullah II meets with Abbas in rare West Bank visit

Monarch makes first trip to Ramallah since 2017; Gantz had reportedly sought to join meeting, but was blocked by Bennett

By AFP and TOI staff