The U.S.-sponsored Middle East conference aimed at building a coalition against the threat posed by Iran continued on Thursday as key participants took the stage.
Ahead of the plenary session on Thursday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, thanking the U.S. for co-hosting the summit and rallying support to counter Iran.
"I want to thank Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence and the Trump administration for putting together an extraordinary conference," Netanyahu said at the start of his meeting with Netanyahu.
"As you can see, this is a historical turning point; in a room of some 60 foreign ministers and representatives of dozens of governments, an Israeli prime minister and the foreign ministers of leading Arab countries stood together and spoke with unusual force, clarity and unity against the common threat of the Iranian regime," Netanyahu continued.
Netanyahu stressed that the conference underscores the "important understanding of what threatens our future and what we have to do to secure it, and the possibilities of cooperation that extend beyond security to every realm of life for the peoples of the Middle East."
Pompeo thanked Netanyahu and said, "we appreciate you being here a great deal, it matters."
Pompeo said he wanted conference participants to "continue to build here on what happened last night between all the parties who are deeply interested and committed to ensuring that we push back against all the threats, including Iran."
The secretary of state stressed, "you can't achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran, it's just not possible."
The conference, co-hosted by the U.S. and Poland, also produced signs of a warming of ties between Israel and some Arab countries on Wednesday.
Foreign ministers and other officials from more than 60 countries gathered for the conference in Warsaw, which started on Wednesday evening. The unofficial purpose of the conference is to coalesce a global coalition against Iran, although the issues of Yemen, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process were also discussed.
On the sidelines of the summit, Netanyahu met with Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah on Thursday.
At the start of the meeting, Netanyahu recalled his visit to Oman in October, saying, "It's a delight to see you again."
Netanyahu said "the courageous decision of Sultan Qaboos to invite me to Oman is changing the world. It's pointing the way for many others to do what you said, not to be stuck in the past, but to seize the future any are following this lead, and may I say, including in this conference. I thank you for this positive policy that can lead to peace and prosperity for all. I want to thank you on behalf of the people of Israel, and I allow myself to say on behalf of many people in the Middle East."
Oman does not formally recognize Israel. Nor do Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, which also sent envoys to Warsaw and which share Israel's concerns about Iran's nuclear program and involvement in several regional flashpoints.
Speaking to Netanyahu, bin Alawi said: "People in the Middle East have suffered a lot because they have stuck to the past. Now we say, this is a new era, for the future."
Netanyahu has frequently hinted at warmer ties with Gulf Arab states.
A photo-op with Netanyahu and senior figures from Arab countries in Warsaw would be a win for Washington as it seeks to ratchet up pressure against Tehran. The Iranians say it is U.S.-aligned forces in the region, and not they, who are belligerent.
Leading European countries Germany and France opted not to send their foreign ministers to the summit over concerns the meeting could highlight big-power tensions over Washington's decision last year to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions against Tehran.
Vice President Mike Pence is leading the U.S. delegation, accompanied by Pompeo and White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner.
Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, was slated to brief delegates behind closed doors on Thursday on U.S. plans for peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
Palestinian officials, viewing the current U.S. administration as having a pro-Israel bias, declined to attend the conference.
