The Negev 2 summit, which Morocco is hosting, may be postponed in light of the ongoing armed conflict between Palestine and Israel.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Morocco and Saudi Arabia is also heading for postponement.
“Blinken was planning a tour in the Middle East, which included Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco, but these plans were suspended after the outbreak of the October War,” the Associated Press agency (AP), citing three American officials.
The AP reports that “the possibility of visiting Israel and neighboring countries to search for ways to ease the conflict still exists, but going to Saudi Arabia has been postponed for the time being, and it is possible that Morocco will also stop arrangements for holding the Negev Summit 2.”
Similar reports previously revealed that “Blinken’s tour to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and then Morocco was aimed at pushing forward the Abraham Accords, and also discussing a final date for the Negev Summit 2, which was scheduled to be held in the Kingdom of Morocco, but the Palestinian-Israeli conflict always put it in the category of postponement.”
As Saudi Arabia and Israel were nearing a much anticipated and historic normalization deal, Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel October 7 could become “a casualty” of the war.
Within this expansion of the Abraham Accords, Morocco was expected to play a key role in bringing parties together, as it prepared to host the Negev Summit this year.
The world anticipated that the US Secretary of State’s upcoming trip will further strengthen ties between the US, Morocco and the Middle East, and broaden Abraham Accords signatories.