Trump outlines principles of U.S. plan to end war in Gaza to Arab leaders
Al-Khamisa News Network - Gaza
Channel 12 in Israel reported that U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by his special envoy Steve Witkoff, will present on Tuesday to a group of Arab and Muslim leaders the basic principles of a U.S. plan aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip.
According to the channel, the meeting will include senior officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan. It is the first time Trump has outlined a vision to end the war since returning to the White House in January. It is not yet known whether the U.S. president will include the same principles in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly today.
Key elements of the initiative
The principles, according to informed sources, include the release of all Israeli hostages, a halt to the fighting, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and a “day-after” plan that determines who will govern the territory removed from Hamas control.
Washington is also seeking, according to leaks, the approval of Arab states to send military forces to secure the Israeli withdrawal, in addition to securing financial support from Arab and Muslim countries to fund Gaza’s reconstruction.
A senior U.S. official said, “Today’s meeting could be a decisive moment. After nine months of talks with all parties, we believe we have a realistic vision of what an end-of-war plan should look like.”
Meanwhile, an Arab official who will participate in the meeting said Trump is seeking to “test the waters” with Arab leaders and obtain their backing before moving forward with the U.S. plan.
Israeli stance
Israeli sources acknowledged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been briefed on the principles, but he understands that some provisions, particularly those concerning the role of the Palestinian Authority in administering Gaza in the future, will spark divisions within his government. An Israeli official said, “There will be things that will be hard for us to swallow.”
Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House next week in the fourth meeting between him and Trump since the latter returned to office, where the two are expected to discuss details of the U.S. initiative to end the war.
