JERUSALEM

The Negev summit between the foreign ministers of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, Israel and the United States kicked off Monday in southern Israel.

A joint press conference is expected to take place on Monday afternoon following the summit before the top diplomats depart Israel.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh criticized the six-party summit, saying that such gatherings were a "free reward" to Israel.

Speaking at the opening session of his cabinet meeting, Shtayyeh said Arab normalization meetings with Israel without ending the Israeli occupation were just "illusion and mirage."

The UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco had signed US-sponsored agreements to normalize relations with Israel in 2020.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar