New name and date for the Negev forum in Morocco

Haaretz Citing Israeli officials, reports said the second edition of the forum with Israel’s five allies, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, the United States and Bahrain, will meet with the foreign ministers of these countries next June 25 in Morocco.

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The postponement of the event is explained by a disagreement between Washington and Rabat. During the first edition of the Negev Forum, Nasser Bourita’s wish was for foreign ministers to meet in Dakla, in the Moroccan Sahara. However, the proposal did not receive approval from the Biden administration, which insisted that the meeting be held in a diplomatically disputed area.

Also Read: Negev summit postponed in Morocco as Israel-Palestine conflict escalates

The Negev Forum was established last year when Yair Lapid was Israel’s foreign minister. The forum’s first meeting of foreign ministers took place last March at Kibbutz Stay Boker, in the heart of the Negev desert in southern Israel, which gave rise to the forum’s name. But according to several media sources, the participating Arab countries have asked Israel and the United States to reconsider the name of the event so that it is no longer associated with the Hebrew state. Washington has made similar demands.