Arab ‘Mini’ Summit Ends Without Issuing Official Statement
Gulf countries, Egypt and Jordan held a “mini” unofficial summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday amid Arab efforts to present a counterplan to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan, which also aims to rebuild Gaza and reject the displacement of its people from it.
A source close to the Saudi government confirmed to AFP that the summit “was held and concluded this afternoon” on Friday, noting the “absence” of the Sultanate of Oman. No official statement was issued regarding the meeting.
The Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya channel published a photo of the participants at the summit held in Riyadh without specifying its location or agenda.
The photo showed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.
The Egyptian presidency confirmed that Al-Sisi left Riyadh after: “Participating in an informal meeting on the Palestinian issue.”
Ahead of the meeting, there was talk of disagreements that might ruin the summit over who would rule Gaza and the issue of funding reconstruction in the Strip, which has been destroyed by the war between Israel and Hamas. However, the summit gained importance because it reflects a rare Arab consensus on rejecting the displacement of Palestinians at a time when Trump is presenting proposals that could affect the situation in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia sought to lower expectations by confirming on Thursday that the meeting was an “informal, brotherly meeting” and that its decisions would be related to the agenda for the emergency Arab summit set to be held in Egypt on 4 March.
