Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Warsaw Tuesday night to take part in a US-Polish sponsored conference that he said will unite many countries in the world -- and in the region -- against Iranian aggression and its desire to conquer the Mideast and destroy israel
The conference -- officially called the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East -- will include representatives from at least 10 Arab states.
Netanyahu is the only head of government scheduled to attend, with the other 60 states sending representatives at the ministerial or deputy ministerial level.
Before boarding his plane, Netanyahu said that Israel acts everyday -- “including yesterday” -- against Iran and its efforts to entrench itself in Syria and the region. There were foreign reports Monday that Israel tank shells struck two Iranian targets in southwestern Syria.
US Vice President Mike Pence will also attend, and is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Thursday. The prime minister is also scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Asked whether he would meet any Arab leaders, Netanyahu said, “I plan on seeing everyone in one big room.”
Netanyahu said that it was “refreshing” to see this conference take place on European soil.
“There is a curious thing happening in Europe – Iran is actually sending its terrorist squads, they have already killed people in Europe, it is sending its terrorists there, and at the same time certain European governments are courting Iran and trying to curry favor with them and give them advantages, and find ways to go around the American sanctions.”
The prime minister called this “mind boggling,” and said “this is not the first time we have seen this folly in certain parts of Europe.”
Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz announced earlier this week that the list of Middle East countries, in addition to Israel, sending representatives include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Tunisia.
The Palestinian Authority turned down an invitation, and called on other Arab countries not to attend, arguing that the real goal of the parley is promote normalization between Israel and the Arab countries – something the PA opposes until an agreement is reached with Israel on the basis of a two-state solution along the 1967 lines, with east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
Even though the Palestinian Authority is not sending a representative, the Israeli-Palestinian issue is expected to be discussed among the participants, as Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, and Jason Greenblatt, the president’s special representative for international negotiations, are scheduled to attend. The two are expected to roll out Trump’s long-awaited Mideast peace blueprint sometime after the April 9 Israeli elections, and reportedly will update participants at the meeting on the plan.
0 comments:
Post a Comment