US invites Arab and Israeli ministers to Nato anniversary summit

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The United States has asked the foreign ministers of Israel and a few Arab countries to attend a Nato summit in Washington next month, adding strain to the meeting due to the conflict in Gaza.

The 75th anniversary meeting gives US President Joe Biden an opportunity to showcase his strategy of strengthening Washington's global connections and alliances.

However, it will also bring attention to the inconsistencies that numerous diplomats perceive in Washington's position on Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

And even though countries in the group agree to stand by Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, there is significant discord among its members and allies regarding Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

Nato typically asks some of its partners to attend its yearly meeting, but since the US is hosting the special anniversary summit, they have invited foreign ministers from up to 31 countries that have alliances with Nato. This includes countries like Japan, Australia, and South Korea. This decision was made partly to prevent any potential conflicts regarding their invitation to Israel.

Arab guests consist of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia, the UAE, and Bahrain.

The Nato summit in Vilnius last year had attendees from Ukraine and partners from the Asia-Pacific area. The summit in Madrid this year had an even larger group of participants.

The foreign ministers from allied nations will not be joining the official NATO gatherings but will instead be taking part in activities on the outskirts of the summit, including the celebratory dinner for the 75th anniversary.

The Secretary-general Stoltenberg has asked the leaders of all 32 allied countries, along with the heads of our Indo-Pacific partners (Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea), to attend a meeting, as stated by a Nato representative.

"The US government is arranging meetings with representatives from other Nato countries at the ministerial level," the official said.

Analysts say that by inviting Arab states and Israel to the summit, the US is demonstrating its ability to bring countries together and the advantages of its partnerships with multiple nations.

Jonathan Lord, who is the director of the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security think-tank in Washington, stated that it has been a goal for many US administrations to create a form of an Arab NATO.

Providing a detailed explanation of the advantages and characteristics of this type of collaborative partnership is likely the most important point to communicate.