Negev Forum postponed due to West Bank settlement plans
Morocco has reportedly decided not to host the Negev Forum. The reason for this cancellation is due to the Israeli government's decision regarding settlement plans in the West Bank. The summit was originally planned for March, but several postponements have since been made. The United States, on the other hand, reportedly called for a further postponement of this summit, also because of Tel Aviv's settlement plans.
The Negev Forum serves as a normalisation of relations between Israel and Arab countries. The forum discusses issues related to regional security and economic cooperation within the framework of the Abraham Accords. Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and the United States participate in the summit.
On 18 June, the Israeli government decided to move forward with planning for more than 4,000 settlement units in parts of the West Bank at the end of June, a decision that was ratified by President Netanyahu on Sunday. The resolution has been severely criticised by the European Union, Morocco and the United States, as these operations do not fit within the framework of established international law.
In an announcement made by Matthew Miller, spokesman for the Department, through a press release, he states that the United States opposes the decisions made by the Israeli Executive regarding new settlement planning in the West Bank. Miller states that, "The United States is deeply concerned about the Israeli government's decision to move forward with planning for more than 4,000 settlement units in the West Bank. We are equally concerned about reports of changes to Israel's settlement administration system that accelerate settlement planning and approval (...) The United States opposes such unilateral actions that make a two-state solution more difficult to achieve and are an obstacle to peace. We call on the Government of Israel to honour the commitments it made in Aqaba, Jordan and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt and return to dialogue aimed at de-escalation".
The Biden administration has also previously called for a change in the name of the summit in order to bring more countries in the region on board. Negev is the name for a region of Israel south of Jerusalem. That the Negev is included in the name is not appreciated by those countries that are hesitant to join, such as Jordan. Morocco also favours changing the name of the forum and requests that the word "peace" also be included. "Association of Middle Eastern and North African Countries" or "Partnership for Peace and Development of Middle Eastern and North African Countries" are two of the examples proposed by the US and Morocco. Although no such change has been decided, the Israeli government is willing to change the name in an attempt to get Jordan to join the forum.
On the other hand, the Moroccan government views its relationship with Tel Aviv as a bilateral partnership for economic purposes and regional cooperation in terms of security. Morocco, while re-establishing relations with Israel, supports Palestinian rights and the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.