U.S., Israel and Arab states to expand cooperation in unprecedented meeting

SDE BOKER, Israel — The foreign ministers of the United States, Israel and four Arab governments committed to expand economic and diplomatic cooperation in an unprecedented meeting in Israel’s southern Negev desert on Monday.

The presence of top diplomats from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt on Israeli soil showed a new level of comfort between Israel and its Arab neighbors even though the parties did not sign any binding agreements or specific policies.