The historic conference will focus on the war against terror, radicalization, desalination, and food security
More than 20 guests from different Arab Gulf and African countries arrived in Israel on Wednesday for a historic visit to Jerusalem, where they will discuss a range of issues that pertain to regional links with the Jewish state.
Among these guests, some of whom were from countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations, were representatives of think tanks, institutes of applied diplomacy, and journalists, Ynetnews reported. They participated in a three-day conference, initiated by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, focused on Israel’s relations with the countries of Africa and the Gulf region
Representatives of Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Djibouti, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Sudan – states that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel – were among those at the forum, as well as envoys from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan, and Uganda.
Also among the participants were the former president of the Bahrain Journalists Association and a leading Saudi reporter.
The guests visited important sites of the country and the parliament, where they met with Parliamentary Speaker Amir Ohana. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog sent a recorded welcome message to the participants, and the head of the National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, spoke with them.
“This is an unprecedented historical meeting of representatives of countries who, in the current climate, were not supposed to come to Israel to discuss strengthening Israel’s ties with Africa and consolidating the Abraham Accords. They agreed to come to Jerusalem to talk about the concept of national security in the broad sense of the word, which includes not only the war on terrorism and radicalization but also desalination, food security, and the fight against hunger,” said Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
