Arab-American Summit to Take Place in Late February as Trump Tours the Region
Egypt, Turkey, and Gulf states discuss unified strategies to counter U.S.-Israeli displacement plans for Gaza, while Washington and Riyadh prepare for high-level summits.
Watan-It is “very likely” that the last week of February will witness the first Arab-American summit, which is expected to be a smaller-scale meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia for a bilateral summit with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This will be followed by a U.S.-Gulf summit with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Trump will conclude his visit with a summit attended by the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.
According to Egyptian sources, there is ongoing Arab coordination at the level of a group that recently met in Cairo to adopt a unified stance against U.S. and Israeli plans aimed at displacing Gaza’s residents and allowing the Israeli occupation to annex the West Bank.
As part of Cairo’s efforts to propose an alternative plan regarding the relocation of Gaza’s residents, Egypt’s political leadership has received a proposal from sources close to the presidency. The plan suggests reviving a previously mentioned idea by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, which involves relocating Gaza’s population to the Negev if their removal is pursued under the pretext of rebuilding the Strip, provided that the move is framed as a measure to ensure their safety.
Cairo’s position comes amid a firm stance from the Egyptian military establishment, which rejects the displacement of Gaza’s residents or their transfer to Egypt. This military stance has led the Egyptian president to adopt a strict position against the American proposal, in addition to widespread public opposition.
Last Sunday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister revealed that Cairo has a clear vision for rebuilding Gaza “without the displacement of any of its citizens.” During a joint press conference with his Djiboutian counterpart Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty stated, “We have a clear vision for Gaza’s reconstruction, we have an Arab consensus on this matter, and we are engaging with the United Nations in this framework.”
Turkey Urges Egypt to Move Shelter Trucks and Prefabricated Homes Toward Border Crossings
Meanwhile, Egyptian diplomatic sources revealed that during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel Aty, to pressure Israeli authorities into permitting the entry of prefabricated homes and equipped tents into Gaza through the border crossings. Ankara also called on Cairo to facilitate the movement of loaded trucks, effectively compelling Israel to take action.
Turkey had transported thousands of prefabricated homes via several ships to the Port of Arish, where they have remained in storage since the Rafah crossing was closed in May following Israel’s ground invasion of Palestinian Rafah.
Notably, among the commitments of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement under the humanitarian protocol is the entry of 200,000 fully equipped tents into the Strip, along with 60,000 prefabricated homes.
During his meeting with the Egyptian foreign minister, the Turkish minister stated that the best response to Israel’s attempts to evade agreements and promote plans for Gaza’s population displacement is to strengthen reconstruction and relief efforts.
He emphasized that the most urgent relief priority at this stage is housing and the entry of prefabricated homes to support the resilience of Gaza’s residents, particularly in the north, which has suffered the most damage.
