Five-Way Meeting to Be Held in Jerusalem to Tackle Issues Discussed in Sharm El-Sheikh

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, AFP
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Five-Way Meeting to Be Held in Jerusalem to Tackle Issues Discussed in Sharm El-Sheikh

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, AFP

Five days after the tripartite summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, which brought together Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced holding a two-day "historic diplomatic summit."

The five-way regional summit will take place on Sunday and Monday in Jerusalem.

Lapid will host his counterparts from the US, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

At the summit, the ministers will discuss regional and global affairs.

Lapid made it clear that the summit is being held on the occasion of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East, where he will meet Bennett and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
Blinken is also scheduled to visit other countries in the region.

The US State Department said that Blinken will discuss “the Russian government's war on Ukraine, Iran's destabilizing activities, the Abraham Accords, Israeli-Palestinian relations and maintaining the prospect of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Sources in Tel Aviv confirmed that the five-way meeting will be a practical continuation of the tripartite meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh.

They revealed that the three leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh discussed a number of issues, foremost of which is Iran and reports about US intentions to remove the Revolutionary Guards from its list of designated “terrorist organizations.”

The leaders also tackled the possibility of the world reaching a new nuclear agreement with Iran at the talks in Vienna. The war in Ukraine and wheat supplies to Egypt were also discussed.

A senior Israeli military delegation led by Tal Kelman, the military official in charge of Iran affairs, wrapped up a series of meetings in Morocco this week, the Israeli military said Friday.

The visit was broken to the public by Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arab spokesperson, via his Twitter account.

During the visit to Morocco's capital Rabat, Kelman met with the chief of Morocco's military Belkhir El Farouk, and other senior Moroccan officers, according to Adraee's tweet.

The two delegations reviewed "regional and international challenges ... and opportunities for military cooperation in the areas of training and rehabilitation, in addition to operation and intelligence fields," wrote Adraee.



Top Trump Iran Negotiator Says Visits US Aircraft Carrier in Middle East

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivers a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine, during the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2026. (Reuters)
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivers a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine, during the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2026. (Reuters)
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Top Trump Iran Negotiator Says Visits US Aircraft Carrier in Middle East

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivers a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine, during the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2026. (Reuters)
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivers a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine, during the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2026. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump's lead Iran negotiator Steve Witkoff on Saturday said he visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier currently in the Arabian Sea, with Washington and Tehran due to hold further talks soon.

"Today, Adm. Brad Cooper, Commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, Jared Kushner, and I met with the brave sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, her strike group, and Carrier Air Wing 9 who are keeping us safe and upholding President Trump's message of peace through strength," said Witkoff in a social media post.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran's red lines and warning against any American attack.


Israel’s Netanyahu Expected to Meet Trump in US on Wednesday and Discuss Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a special session to mark the 77th anniversary of the Knesset's establishment and the 60th anniversary of the dedication of the current building at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 02 February 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a special session to mark the 77th anniversary of the Knesset's establishment and the 60th anniversary of the dedication of the current building at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 02 February 2026. (EPA)
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Israel’s Netanyahu Expected to Meet Trump in US on Wednesday and Discuss Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a special session to mark the 77th anniversary of the Knesset's establishment and the 60th anniversary of the dedication of the current building at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 02 February 2026. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a special session to mark the 77th anniversary of the Knesset's establishment and the 60th anniversary of the dedication of the current building at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 02 February 2026. (EPA)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet US President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, where they will discuss negotiations with Iran, Netanyahu's office said on Saturday.

Iranian and US officials held indirect nuclear ‌talks in the ‌Omani capital ‌Muscat ⁠on Friday. ‌Both sides said more talks were expected to be held again soon.

A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran on the talks told Reuters Iran insisted ⁠on its "right to enrich uranium" ‌during the negotiations with ‍the US, ‍and that Tehran's missile capabilities ‍were not raised in the discussions.

Iranian officials have ruled out putting Iran's missiles - one of the largest such arsenals in the region - up ⁠for discussion, and have said Tehran wants recognition of its right to enrich uranium.

"The Prime Minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles and halting support for the Iranian axis," Netanyahu's office said in a ‌statement.


Italy FM Rules Out Joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)
Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)
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Italy FM Rules Out Joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)
Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)

Italy will not take part in US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Saturday, citing "insurmountable" constitutional issues.

Trump launched his "Board of Peace" at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January and some 19 countries have signed its founding charter.

But Italy's constitution bars the country from joining an organization led by a single foreign leader.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a Trump ally, last month noted "constitutional problems" with joining, but suggested Trump could perhaps reopen the framework "to meet the needs not only of Italy, but also of other European countries".

Tajani appeared Saturday to rule that out.

"We cannot participate in the Board of Peace because there is a constitutional limit," he told the ANSA news agency.

"This is insurmountable from a legal standpoint," he said, the day after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance at the Olympics in Milan.

Although originally meant to oversee Gaza's rebuilding, the board's charter does not limit its role to the Palestinian territory and appears to want to rival the United Nations.