Riyadh, February 17, 2025: A planned Arab summit in Riyadh to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for Gaza has been postponed by a day and expanded to include additional regional leaders, Arab diplomats confirmed on Monday.
“The mini-Arab summit in Riyadh has been rescheduled from Thursday to Friday, February 21,” a Saudi source told AFP. An Arab diplomatic source also confirmed the change.
Initially, three Arab nations were expected to attend. However, the revised meeting will now include leaders from all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to formulate a unified Arab response to Trump’s proposed plans for Gaza.
The GCC member states—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait—will join discussions following reports that an influential Gulf country objected to being excluded from the original summit, prompting organizers to expand participation.
President Trump has suggested relocating more than two million Gaza residents to Jordan or Egypt while establishing U.S. control over the war-torn territory—a proposal widely condemned by international legal experts as a violation of international law.
Arab nations have strongly rejected any plans for the forced displacement of Palestinians, reiterating their commitment to protecting Palestinian sovereignty.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated last week that Washington remains open to alternative proposals from Arab countries regarding Gaza. His diplomatic tour, which includes visits to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, aims to discuss potential solutions amid the fragile ceasefire that came into effect on January 19, following over 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, reaffirming Jordan’s firm opposition to any forced displacement of Palestinians—a stance aligned with the unified Arab position.
Despite growing opposition, Trump reportedly reaffirmed his plan during the meeting, raising concerns about escalating regional tensions ahead of the rescheduled Riyadh summit.
