The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has cast a shadow over I2U2, a grouping of India, Israel, the US and the UAE formed to address global challenges such as food security, energy, water and health and promote economic opportunities.
Discussions in the group have been dormant and no meetings have been held for nearly a year due to Israel’s attack on Gaza , sources said, The Industan Times reported.
“India has adopted a ‘wait and see’ approach on the issue as it does not want to disturb its balance in the region. The status quo may continue unless the US and Israel actively push things forward despite the UAE wanting to distance itself from Israel,” Businessline reported.
The last meeting of the I2U2 Sherpas took place in New York in September 2023 on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. After the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing over a thousand Israelis and taking several hostages, and Israel started a war against Hamas, the I2U2 is dormant.
“The UAE cannot be expected to engage in dialogue with Israel when it is at the center of the conflict in the Middle East and Muslim countries are affected. It is a sensitive issue and the UAE does not seem interested in re-opening the dialogue,” Indian newspapers reported.
Since it may take a long time for the situation in the Middle East to normalize, there is much uncertainty about what will happen to the I2U2 in the days to come: “The success of the I2U2 depends on the resolution of the situation. It remains to be seen what position the United States and Israel will take on the grouping if the crisis continues.”
In February, White House officials said that the I2U2 grouping remained a priority for the Biden administration and was not being sidelined by the situation in the Middle East.
I2U2 was initially formed during a virtual ministerial call hosted by Secretary Blinken with his I2U2 counterparts in October 2021.
The heads of state of the four countries convened the first leaders’ summit on July 14, 2022 to establish the I2U2 grouping. The grouping’s goal is to encourage joint investments in six mutually identified areas, including water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.
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Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
