March 29, 2022
3 mins read

India, Israel, UAE, US group’s ‘I2-U2’ joins alphabet soup of diplomatic acronyms

Meet “I2-U2”, the latest entry into the international alphabet soup of acronyms, which stands for India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the US…writes Arul Louis

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the I2-U2 moniker on Sunday for the four-member grouping that was launched last October at a virtual meeting comprising himself, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Ministers Yair Lapid of Israel and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE.

I2-U2 even has a populist ring rhyming with R2-D2, a robot in the Star Wars movie franchise.

“We have something, for example, called I2-U2, which we launched last October, together with our Emirati and Indian counterparts,” Blinken said at a news conference in Jerusalem, referring to the four-member grouping that could be the beginning of a Middle East Quad, but now has an acronym of its own.

Blinken praised Lapid for his “remarkable leadership” in “spearheading new areas of cooperation” like the I2-U2.

At their I2-U2 meeting, the Ministers had discussed “future opportunities for collaboration in the region and globally” and “expanding economic and political cooperation in the Middle East and Asia, including through trade”, according to a US statement after their talks.

The group does not have a military angle to it and the Minister only spoke of cooperation in maritime security, which is mostly about preventing piracy and terrorism.

It mirrors the beginnings of the Quad, the Indo-Pacific grouping of India, the US, Japan and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region, which has now matured.

The I2-U2 meeting had followed the Abraham Accords, through which Israel normalised relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

The Abraham Accords takes its name from the Jewish Patriarch Abraham who is claimed by Judaism, Christianity and Islam as their spiritual fountainhead.

India has backed the Abraham Accords reached in the final days of the administration of former President Donald Trump through the efforts of his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

President Joe Biden is continuing that diplomatic effort and Israel hosted this week a meeting of the top diplomats of the US, the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and Bahrain.

Blinken, Lapid, bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Ministers Morocco’s Nasser Bourita, Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani of Bahrain and Sameh Hassan Shoukry of Egypt met for what is called the Negev Summit in the Israeli town of Sde Boker to build a “new architecture” of capabilities, as Lapid described it.

ALSO READ: US, Israel, and Arab states boost ties in Negev summit

But showing a rift with the US that is trying to revive the Iran nuclear deal, Lapid said that it “intimidates and deters our common enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies”.

Israel and the four Sunni states are opposed to Shia Iran and the nuclear deal.

Trump had pulled out of the agreement, which was meant to limit Tehran’s nuclear weapons capabilities while loosening some of the sanctions imposed on it.

Another area of difference also surfaced at the Negev meeting with US and the Arab states pressing Israel to make a deal with Palestinians.

Blinken said: “We have to be clear that these regional peace agreements are not a substitute for progress between Palestinians and Israelis.”

Previous Story

Saudi contributes $7 mn to Unicef education programmes in Yemen

Next Story

Sheikh Mohammed meets with Presidents of South Africa, Liberia at Expo 2020

Latest from Arab News

US Deports Iraqi Refugee to Rwanda 

Ameen’s deportation to Rwanda raises renewed concerns among rights advocates about transparency, due process, and the fate of refugees caught in the crossfire of international politics….reports Asian Lite News  The United States

Sikh Community Pays Rich Tributes to Pope 

UAE Sikh community mourns Pope Francis, honoring him as a global symbol of faith and compassion…reports Asian Lite News The Sikh community of the United Arab Emirates extends heartfelt condolences on the

Azad Moopen Pays Tribute to Pope Francis 

Dr. Moopen also noted Pope Francis’ historic 2019 visit to the UAE, a landmark moment in fostering interfaith dialogue and tolerance…reports Asian Lite News Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman of Aster DM
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Didi backs Modi on Bangladesh violence 

Mamata Banerjee acknowledged that she talked to ISKCON in Bengal

Arab-India Energy Forum concludes first edition of its meet

The event was in implementation of the executive programme of