He focused on reducing Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
A meeting on Israel’s Negev desert, hosted by Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, brought together the foreign ministers of four Arab nations that now have close ties with the Jewish state. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined them for what Israel is calling the historic Negev summit.
Secretary Blinken previously had an evening of meetings with Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas.
The peace and stability of the new Arab-Israeli ties under the Abraham Accords, introduced by President Trump’s administration, have not reduced the tensions that remain with the Palestinians.
“These regional peace agreements are not a substitute for progress between Palestinians and Israelis,” the U.S. secretary of state said. He reiterated the call for the two sides to achieve “equal measures of freedom, security, opportunity, and dignity and create the conditions for a negotiated two-state solution.”
By the conclusion of the meeting, the Palestinian issues had not been addressed. During a six-way joint statement, Minister Lapid announced that the group would meet again, making this Negev summit a forum – with an open “door before all the peoples of the region, including the Palestinians and offering them to replace the way of terror and destruction with a shared future of progress and success.”
“Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve to live with equal measures of freedom, of opportunity, security, of dignity, and we believe that the most effective way, ultimately, to give expression to that basic principle is through two states,” Secretary Blinken said Sunday with President Abbas. “Of course, the two sides are very far apart, so we’ll continue our work, step by step, to try to bring them closer,” the secretary of state added.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for Secretary Blinken as he promotes peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
- For State Department officials and U.S. ambassadors to conduct diplomatic missions with discernment and discretion.
- For Israeli and Arab leaders to be led by God in collaborating with one another.
- For Israel’s government as the coalition continues to experience instability.
Sources: Reuters, ABC News
