Sharm el-Sheikh: The Egyptian president told a summit of world leaders Monday that US President Donald Trump’s Mideast proposal represents the “last chance” for peace in the region and reiterated his call for a two-state solution, saying Palestinians have the right to an independent state.
The summit in Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh was aimed at supporting the ceasefire reached in Gaza, ending the Israel-Hamas war and developing a long-term vision for governing and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.
The gathering appeared designed to rally international support behind the Trump vision for putting an end to the war. Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the co-chair of the summit, told Trump, “only you” can bring peace to the region.
Trump’s plan holds out the possibility of a Palestinian state, but only after a lengthy transition period in Gaza and a reform process by the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes Palestinian independence. Trump made no mention of a two-state solution at the summit.
In his own address to the summit, Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East, saying that the region has “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us.” He urged leaders “to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past.”
Israel and Hamas came under pressure from the United States, Arab countries and Turkey to agree on the first phase of the ceasefire deal negotiated in Qatar through mediators. It began Friday.
Monday, Trump, el-Sissi, the Qatari emir and the Turkish president signed a document. Trump said the document spelt out a lot of rules and regulations and lots of other things, and it’s very comprehensive.” The document was not shared with journalists in the room or made public.
The summit unfolded soon after Hamas released 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel started to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons, crucial steps under the ceasefire. But major questions remain over what happens next, raising the risk of a slide back into war.
More than 20 world leaders attended the summit, including King Abdullah of Jordan, the French president and the British prime minister.
A Turkish government official said Turkey launched “a diplomatic initiative” to prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from attending the meeting, and after other countries backed the effort, Netanyahu decided not to come.
The official would not confirm Turkish media reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plane circled over the Red Sea as Erdogan threatened to boycott the meeting, and that the plane landed only after it became clear that Netanyahu would not arrive. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.
Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had warned Egyptian and US officials that he would withdraw from the summit if Netanyahu attended, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency.
Netanyahu’s office announced that he would not attend, citing a Jewish holiday.
Israel has rejected any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose leader, Mahmoud Abbas, was in Sharm el-Sheikh.
A new page
El-Sissi’s office said the summit aimed to “end the war” in Gaza and “usher in a new page of peace and regional stability” in line with Trump’s vision.
Directly tackling the issues in depth was unlikely at the gathering, which lasted only about three hours and was mostly ceremonial. During the summit, world leaders lined up one by one to have their photos taken with Trump, who smiled and gave a thumbs-up to photographers. Then el-Sissi welcomed Trump, invited him to the stage and asked him to join world leaders “who love peace.”
Before Trump arrived in Egypt from Israel, Egyptian Air Force jets escorted Air Force One for a spin above the resort.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the success of Trump’s vision for Mideast peace will depend on his continued commitment to the process, including applying pressure to the parties and deploying military forces as part of an international contingent expected to carry out peacekeeping duties in the next phase.
“We need American engagement, even deployment on the ground, to identify the mission, task and mandate of this force,” Abdelatty told The Associated Press.
Under the first phase, Israeli troops pulled back from some parts of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return home from areas they were forced to evacuate. Aid groups are preparing to bring in large quantities of aid kept out of the territory for months.
In separate remarks, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Trump’s efforts to promote peace in several parts of the world. Pakistan, he said, had nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in helping ease tensions between India and Pakistan.
Critical challenges ahead
The next phase of the deal will have to tackle disarming Hamas, creating a post-war government for Gaza and handling the extent of Israel’s withdrawal from the territory. Trump’s plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.
Abdelatty said the international force needs a UN Security Council resolution to endorse its deployment.
He said Hamas will have no role in the transitional period in Gaza. A 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats, with no affiliation with any Palestinian factions and vetted by Israel, will govern day-to-day affairs in Gaza. The committee would receive support and supervision from a “Board of Peace” proposed by Trump to oversee the implementation of the phases of his plan, Abdelatty said.
“We are counting on Trump to keep the implementation of this plan for all its phases,” he told AP.
Another major issue is raising funds for rebuilding Gaza. The World Bank and Egypt’s postwar plan estimate reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza at $53 billion. Egypt plans to host an early recovery and reconstruction conference for Gaza in November.
Roles for other countries
Turkey, which hosted Hamas political leaders for years, played a key role in bringing about the ceasefire agreement.
Jordan, alongside Egypt, will train the new Palestinian security force.
Germany, one of Israel’s strongest international backers and top suppliers of military equipment, was represented by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He has expressed concern over Israel’s conduct of the war and its plan for a military takeover of Gaza.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who also attended, has said he will pledge 20 million British pounds (USD 27 million) to help provide water and sanitation for Gaza and that Britain will host a three-day conference on Gaza’s reconstruction and recovery.
Iran, a main backer of Hamas, did not attend. The Islamic Republic finds itself at one of its weakest moments since its 1979 revolution. Iranian officials have portrayed the ceasefire deal as a victory for Hamas.
The deal, however, has underlined Iran’s waning influence in the region and revived concerns over possible renewed conflict with Israel as Iran struggles to recover from the 12-day war between the two countries in June.
