Roving Periscope: First virtual summit of “I2U2” group in July; India, Israel, UAE and US to take part

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi:  With new alliances emerging across the world in view of increasing geopolitical and economic challenges from Russia and China, the United States is setting up new regional groups, including in the Middle East, where India and Israel are being brought together on the same page as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the USA.

The first virtual summit of this “I2U2” group will take place in July as part of the Joe Biden administration’s efforts to re-energize and revitalize American alliances across the world, the White House said on Tuesday.

Officially, the event appears a routine diplomatic exercise.

However, bringing together not only India and Israel but also the UAW (and, therefore, indirectly, Saudi Arabia as well) shows the US’ intent is not just to counter the Russian and Chinese influence but also the influence of Turkey and Iran (both non-Arabs) in the Middle East.

Last year, the Saudis and the Israelis had come together. The I2U2 event aims to broad-base this bonhomie with including India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan would attend the first-of-its-kind virtual summit of the I2U2 grouping next month for discussions on the food security crisis and other areas of cooperation.

The virtual summit of the four countries would take place during President Biden’s trip to the Middle East region from July 13 to 16, a senior administration official told reporters, the media reported.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said each of these countries is a technological hub.

“India is a massive consumer market. It is a massive producer of high-tech and highly sought-after goods as well. So, there are several areas where these countries can work together, whether it’s technology, trade, climate, Covid-19, and potentially even security as well,” he said.

“Part of our approach from the start is not only to revitalize and re-energize our system of alliances and partnerships around the world but also to stitch together partnerships that did not exist previously or were not utilized to their full extent,” Price said.

“Biotechnology is also prominent. Deepening trade and economic ties between these countries is in our interest for the relationship between Israel and the UAE. That is something we have sought to deepen. These two countries have deepened their relationship in recent years, including in the economic realm,” he said.

President Biden will visit the Middle East from July 13 to 16 with stops in Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia, and engagements with nearly a dozen counterparts from across the region and beyond.

“The first stop is Israel. This will be President Biden’s first visit to the country as President, and it comes nearly 50 years after his first visit to Israel as a young senator,” said the US official.

During the trip, Joe Biden will engage with nearly a dozen of his counterparts in three stops – Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia.

“It shows the return of American leadership to bring countries together to address common threats and challenges, something the US can uniquely do.

“And with new frameworks that aim to harness unique American capabilities to enable partners to work more closely together, which is essential to a more secure, prosperous, and stable Middle East region over the long term,” the official said.

President Biden’s visit will also focus on Israel’s increasing integration into the region, both through the “Abraham Accords” signed in 2020 with the UAE, Morocco, and Bahrain; through deepening ties between Israel, Jordan, and Egypt; and also entirely new groupings of partners, including Israel, India, the UAE, and the US.

“We consider these initiatives central to our strategy of empowering partners and encouraging them to work more closely together, which will lead to a more stable region and also to Israel’s security and prosperity over the longer term.”

“Importantly, some of these new partnerships reach beyond the Middle East, and the President will hold a virtual summit with the I2U2 heads of state for discussions of the food security crisis and other areas of cooperation across hemispheres where the UAE and Israel serve as important innovation hubs.”