 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi departed Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after attending an informal meeting with Gulf Arab states and Jordan to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Arab countries are reportedly working to create an alternative to former US President Donald Trump’s proposal to transform war-torn Gaza into an international beach resort. Trump’s plan also included a call for Egypt and Jordan to resettle displaced Gaza Palestinians. Both countries have rejected the proposal, citing national security concerns. Despite this, there has been little progress on an alternative plan from Arab states.
The meeting, convened by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was attended by Jordan’s King Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his national security adviser, Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, and Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.
Major US allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which is one of the few Arab states to have normalized ties with Israel, have ruled out any displacement of Gaza Palestinians. They emphasized that peace efforts should aim for the coexistence of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
