Arab summit Leaders plan response to Trump plan on friday

The truce deal has so far held despite both sides trading accusations of violations, and despite the strain placed on it by US President Donald Trump’s widely condemned plan to take control of Gaza and relocate its population.

Saudi Arabia is set to host the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Friday to present their own plan for Gaza’s reconstruction while ensuring that Palestinians remain on their land.

Egypt and Jordan have been floated by Trump as possible destinations for displaced Gazans, though both countries have rejected the idea.

After the Saudi meeting, Egypt will host an extraordinary Arab League meeting on Gaza, with participants expected to address Trump’s plan.

Though initially set for next week, the summit has been postponed to March 4, Egypt said Tuesday.

For Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the “Nakba”, or catastrophe — the mass displacement of their ancestors during Israel’s creation in 1948.

On Monday, Egypt hosted the latest meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which initially gathered in Saudi Arabia last year.

Egypt’s foreign ministry stressed Cairo’s “full commitment to implementing the two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and “the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state”.