US to host trilateral meeting with Israel, UAE

State Department official says one of the two working groups, which will be launched at the trilateral meeting, will focus on religious coexistence and the other on water and energy issues.

WASHINGTON - The United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will launch two new working groups on Wednesday, a senior State Department official said, as Washington hopes to expand the agreements between Israel and its neighbours known as the Abraham accords.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host a trilateral meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the State Department on Wednesday. One working group will focus on religious coexistence and the other on water and energy issues, said the official, who briefed reporters ahead of the meeting on condition of anonymity.