The United States has invited the foreign ministers of Israel and several Arab countries to the NATO summit to be held in Washington next month, thereby increasing tensions over the war in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Financial Times, according to UNN.
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It is noted that the 75th anniversary summit provides US President Joe Biden with an opportunity to demonstrate his policy of strengthening Washington's international partnerships and alliances. But it will also highlight what many diplomats see as contradictions in Washington's position on Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas.
While NATO member states are unanimous in their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, many members and partners are deeply divided over Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza. NATO usually invites at least some of its partners to its annual meetings, but for the anniversary summit, the United States invited foreign ministers from 31 countries that have partnerships with the Alliance, including Japan, Australia, and South Korea, in part to avoid possible tensions over the invitation to Israel.
Among the invited Arab countries are Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
The newspaper notes that the foreign ministers of the partner countries will not participate in official NATO meetings, but will attend events on the sidelines of the summit, such as a dinner to mark the 75th anniversary of the Alliance.
Analysts believe that the involvement of some Arab countries and Israel in the summit is a way for the United States to illustrate its value as a host nation and the benefits of multilateral alliances.