Maghreb Edition

MENA: How to tame hawkish Netanyahu as US fears new right-wing government in Israel could derail Abraham accordsF

Posted On 20 December 2022

Number of times this article was read : 802

The United States plans a meeting early in 2023 between Israel and Arab nations that recognize it as it pushes the incoming right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint, a US official said Tuesday. Netanyahu is set to take office with the most right-wing government in Israel’s history including figures from the extreme fringes who staunchly back expanding settlements in Palestinian areas.

A senior US official said the United States plans a meeting “probably in the first quarter” of 2023 of foreign ministers from the so-called Negev summit in March. The meeting, with Israel’s then centrist government, brought to the Israeli desert the foreign minister of Egypt, the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, and his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, which normalized relations in 2020 in the so-called Abraham accords.

The accords, also hailed by then US president Donald Trump as a signature achievement, are “near and dear to the heart of Prime Minister Netanyahu and so I imagine that he wants to continue to see that move forward,” the US official said on condition of anonymity. “I think Israel has to factor that in,” the official said. “Depending on some of the things that Israel does, that may make it harder or easier for these countries to actually engage and participate and move forward, nevermind bringing new countries into the process.”

The United Arab Emirates jump-started the Abraham accords in return for a promise by Netanyahu’s then government not to move ahead with annexation of the West Bank, a step that had the blessing of the Trump administration. President Joe Biden’s administration has warned that it opposes annexation and the expansion of settlements and has backed the creation of a Palestinian state, while stopping short of any major diplomatic drive toward a goal seen as having little chance of success.

AFP

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Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.