By Humeyra Pamuk

JERUSALEM, (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken reassured Israeli and Arab counterparts who met for a rare summit in Israel that Washington will continue to oppose any Iranian threat while promoting nuclear diplomacy.

This issue will likely dominate the summit, which includes foreign ministers of three Arab countries that have normalised relations with Israel while peace negotiations with Palestinians remain stalled. Blinken also pledged to continue working on improving Palestinian circumstances.

Blinken’s arrival comes amid concerns that some U.S. ally in the region doubt President Joe Biden Administration’s commitment, and brace for fallouts from an Iranian nuclear accord and the Ukrainian crises.

The talks on nuclear were close to agreement for several weeks, but Russia made last-minute demands from the United States. Russia insists sanctions placed upon Moscow in response to its invasion Ukraine must not have any effect on its trade relations with Iran.

Blinken stated that restoring a 2015 nuclear agreement “is the best method to get Iran’s nuke program back into the box it was previously in”.

However, he stated that “our unwavering commitment to Iran’s core principle of never acquiring a bomber is inviolable” alongside his Israeli counterpart Yair Lepid.

The United States will stand by Iran whenever it poses a threat to us, or our allies, and partner.”

The summit will be hosted by Lapid in a desert hotel on Sunday and Monday. They are joined by representatives of Morocco, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. These countries were part the 2020 Abraham Accords, which was negotiated in order to normalise relations with Israel.

The summit will include the participation of Egypt’s foreign ministry, who on Saturday celebrated 43 years of peace and reconciliation with Israel.

Blinken stated that “Normalization is becoming the new norm in the region,” and added that Washington wanted to “bring others in.”

He said that this should include “forg(ing), tangible improvements in Palestinians’ lives and maintaining our long-standing goal to reach a negotiated, two-state solution.” Blinken will be meeting Mahmoud Abdulbas, the Palestinian president in Ramallah on Sunday.

Sde Boker is the venue for this meeting of foreign ministers. It is where David Ben-Gurion (Israel’s first prime minister and founding father) is buried. This remote Negev desert collective farm has been an emblem of Israeli innovation for many years.

The conference will offer delegates the chance to discuss in repose. One Israeli official involved with planning described it as “our version Camp David”.

Sde Boker could also have offered an alternative to Jerusalem which Israel regards as its capital. This status is not recognized by many countries due to the lack of any resolution on Palestinian claims to the city.