Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met secretly a year ago with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan in a failed attempt by the Barack Obama administration to convene a wider regional summit on Israeli-Palestinian peace, Israel’s Haaretz daily said on Sunday.
Citing unidentified senior officials in Mr. Obama’s administration, Haaretz said Mr. Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry convened on Feb. 21, 2016 in the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba. But the initiative to involve other Arab states in the pursuit of peace with the Palestinians ultimately fizzled, the newspaper said, after Mr. Netanyahu withdrew his initial support, pointing to opposition within his government.
At a meeting with Ministers from his Likud party, Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged the meeting took place, though he said it was his own initiative to try and bring about a regional summit, according to a Cabinet member present, who declined to be identified.
