Arab summit to deliver strong rebuttal of Trump’s plan for Gaza
Gamal Bayoumi, Egypt’s former deputy foreign affairs minister to the EU, has told Al Jazeera that the Arab summit taking place in Cairo would make the position of Arab leaders clear to Trump regarding his plan to forcibly remove Palestinians and rebuild Gaza.
“The summit today will send a big ‘no’ to Trump’s plan,” Bayoum said. “We have never spared any effort or any money to help our Palestinian neighbours, because this is a national security issue for us,” the former ambassador added.
Bayoum said Egypt has direct contact with Israel and “they know exactly what we mean when we say that we are going to rebuild Gaza”.
“The Palestinians will never leave their land,” he added.
Bahrain king delivers opening remarks at Arab summit
Bahrain’s king Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has delivered his opening remarks at the Arab summit in Cairo, saying “a lasting and just peace is the lynchpin for the Palestinian people to restore their historically lawful right to self-determination”.
“We reject any attempts to establish illegal settlements or the forcible transfer of the Palestinian people.
“We commend the initiative proposed by Egypt with regard to the Gaza Strip, which will help us cement our brotherly bonds and ability to stand up to our shared challenges.”
Gaza plan would ensure Palestinians ‘remain on their land’
Egypt’s President el-Sisi, after welcoming the leaders and officials present at the summit, says, “Today, we are gathered by a painful reality … our region is faced by painful challenges.”
“Humanity lost its virtue in Gaza,” he said. “The people in Gaza who lost loved ones, those who were widowed orphaned are looking up to you to restore hope and last and permanent peace.”
El-Sisi added that the Gaza plan would ensure Palestinians “remain on their land”.
‘Peace cannot be maintained by force’: Egypt’s president
El-Sisi added that he wants the Gaza reconstruction plan to be adopted at today’s summit.
“Peace cannot be maintained by force,” he said. “We will also be providing security training to security officials in Gaza.”
Before giving the floor to the Arab League chief, Egypt’s leader says US President Donald Trump is “capable of achieving peace” in the Middle East.
Egypt playing key intermediary role at Arab summit
Egypt is presenting itself as the leading nation at the Arab summit in order to bridge the difference between the official historical Arab position and the new Trump administration, according to Al Jazeera’s senior correspondent Marwan Bishara.
“What we’ve heard this far from the Egyptian president is very important because he speaks for the closest Arab country to Gaza and the one that has most leverage on Israel and the US,” Bishara said.
“Egypt recovered all its land in return for peace in 1967, and that is what the Arab world wants for Palestine.”
Bishara added that Arab leaders will be careful to package their proposal in a “diplomatic way” that is acceptable to US President Donald Trump, in order to provide an alternative for his administration to take on board.
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