The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt landed Sunday afternoon at Nevatim Air Base in Israel ahead of the historic Negev Summit, which began this evening (March 27) with dinner.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also set to attend the summit, hosted by Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid at the Isrotel Kedma Hotel in Sde Boker.
The Israel Air Force is patrolling the skies over southern Israel as the foreign ministers begin their discussions. The defense readiness level of IDF troops in the region was also raised amid concerns about aerial threats to the historic event.
Blinken will arrive following meetings with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and government officials in Ramallah, and meetings with Arab residents of Jerusalem.
The Negev Summit is scheduled to continue through Monday midday.
Several urgent issues are on the agenda for the summit, which officials said would address regional threats, challenges, and opportunities. Among the primary issues to be discussed is the impending JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran that is now entering final negotiations and including the issues of strategic and economic cooperation, and dealing with energy and resources.
The various delegations attending the summit will be meeting throughout the evening to discuss those issues, among others.
The primary discussion is slated to take place at 10 am Monday.
