The U.S. State Department published a list of countries invited to participate in its virtual Summit for Democracy next month with Israel listed alongside more than 100 other countries. Israel and Iraq were the only Middle Eastern countries invited.
The two-day event is scheduled to take place from Dec. 9 to Dec. 10.
The online summit is set to “focus on challenges and opportunities facing democracies and will provide a platform for leaders to announce both individual and collective commitments, reforms and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad.”
U.S. allies such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were not invited. Turkey, a NATO ally, is also not on the participant list. China and Russia were similarly not included.