Saudi Arabia to Host Arab Summit on Trump's Gaza Plan

Saudi Arabia is set to host a summit on February 20 to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip, according to sources familiar with the preparations. The summit will bring together leaders from four Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to deliberate on the highly contentious plan. This meeting comes ahead of an Arab League gathering in Cairo on February 27, where the issue will be further discussed.

Sources confirmed that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will also attend the summit, signaling the importance of the issue to the Palestinian leadership. The summit will provide a platform for the Arab nations to present a unified stance on the proposal, which has sparked widespread outrage across the region.

Trump’s plan, which calls for the United States to assume control over Gaza and relocate more than two million Palestinians, has been met with condemnation from Palestinian leaders and many Arab countries. The proposal suggests Egypt and Jordan as potential destinations for displaced Palestinians, but it has been widely criticized for ignoring the rights and sovereignty of the Palestinian people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stirred further controversy by suggesting that Saudi Arabia could also be a host for Palestinians, though his comments were met with backlash from the Arab world and were dismissed by some Israeli media as a joke. Nonetheless, his remarks have exacerbated tensions in the region, highlighting the deeply divisive nature of the issue.

For Palestinians, the notion of forced displacement evokes painful memories of the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" — the mass expulsion and displacement of Palestinians during the establishment of Israel in 1948. The idea of repeating such an event has become a rallying point for Arab leaders, who are united in their opposition to Trump’s plan.

In response to the proposal, Trump has reportedly warned that he could cut off vital aid to Jordan and Egypt if they do not support the plan. Jordan, which is home to more than two million Palestinian refugees, has expressed strong reservations about the proposal, with more than half of its population being of Palestinian origin.

Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, has also rejected the idea of forced displacement and has instead put forward its own proposal for the reconstruction of Gaza. This plan would focus on providing for the needs of the Palestinians while ensuring they remain in the territory, thereby preserving their rights and dignity.

The upcoming summit in Saudi Arabia will likely be a pivotal moment in the region's response to Trump’s plan. As Arab nations continue to grapple with the implications of the proposal, the fate of the Palestinians remains at the heart of the discussion, with efforts to seek a peaceful and just resolution at the forefront of the summit’s agenda.