By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
RYADH/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Saudi Arabia will host an Arab summit to offer an alternative to American President Donald J. Trump’s U.S. ‘takeover’ plan for the Gaza Strip, several sources confirmed Saturday.
Officials familiar with the talks said the February 20 gathering of the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates comes ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo one week later on the same issue.
Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmud Abbas was also due to attend the talks amid concerns that the fragile Gaza truce deal could collapse.
Trump’s statements on turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Mediterranean” and removing Palestinians living there added to tensions, though at least some Palestinians have privately welcomed the idea after years of mismanagement by Hamas and its allies.
Proposals to be considered at the summit could involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund, as well as a political deal for Hamas’ exit from power, according to several officials.
Trump has pressured Egypt and Jordan in particular, threatening to cut off crucial foreign and defense aid if they don’t come on board his plan. He wants these neighboring states to absorb over 1.2 displaced Palestinians.
Yet the UAE envoy to Washington reportedly signaled the possibility of removing all Palestinians from Gaza, in line with Trump’s controversial Gaza plan.
UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba called the plan “difficult but inevitable” and said he sees “no alternative” to restoring prosperity and peace to the troubled region.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
A planned auction of more than 600 Holocaust-era artifacts was cancelled in Germany after an outcry from survivors, victims’ families, civil society groups, and top government officials.
Clashes broke out in Mexico City on Sunday as thousands of mostly younger protesters rallied against “organized crime, corruption and impunity” following the assassination of a local mayor. At least 120 people were injured, authorities said.
The burial of a 19-year-old girl killed in a June bombing at the Mar Elias Church in Syria’s capital Damascus has become a stark symbol of the “ethno-religious cleansing” facing Syria’s ancient Christian community, a Swedish investigative journalist told U.S. officials.
The United Nations Security Council will vote Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. New York time on a U.S.-drafted resolution establishing an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to be deployed throughout the Gaza Strip. The draft is identical to the version presented to the Council last Thursday and outlines a multinational force that will secure borders, destroy military infrastructure, and oversee the demilitarization of Gaza. It also provides for the training of a Palestinian police force that will join the multinational force’s operations.
President Donald Trump abruptly reversed himself Sunday night, announcing that he now supports House Republicans voting to release the long-sought Epstein files—just days after blasting several GOP lawmakers for pushing the effort.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agree to take up a case that could have an effect on the 2026 midterm elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday issued his strongest public denunciation yet of extremist settler violence in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank), promising “very forceful action” amid a sharp rise in attacks that has drawn concern from Israeli security officials, international partners, and Washington.