Arab, Muslim leaders to meet Trump over Gaza peace plan
The initiative, due to be endorsed Monday at a UN conference on Palestinian statehood, calls for deploying a UN-backed force to provide security in Gaza
Arab and Muslim leaders are set to meet US President Donald Trump in New York to discuss their proposal for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force in Gaza, following France's decision to join the UK, Canada and Australia in recognising Palestine as a state.
The initiative, due to be endorsed Monday at a UN conference on Palestinian statehood, calls for deploying a UN-backed force to provide security in Gaza, oversee the disarmament of Hamas, and train a Palestinian Authority (PA) police force, reports The Guardian.
France has said the plan would weaken Hamas by excluding it from governance and stripping it of weapons.
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Israel, however, has warned it may respond to recognition of Palestine by annexing the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel must retain overall security control even if an Arab-led civilian administration is introduced, while members of his coalition openly call for annexation.
Trump is expected to meet leaders from Turkey, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia after his UN General Assembly address — the most direct engagement with Arab states on Gaza since his second term began. Yet his administration has sanctioned PA officials, barred Mahmoud Abbas from addressing the UN, and remains skeptical of the PA as a peace partner.
Arab states argue the PA must return to govern Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. They insist they will not join any stabilisation force unless the PA is given a role, and want a roadmap to a two-state solution that rules out new settlements or annexation.
The UAE has warned annexation would cross a "red line," jeopardising the Abraham Accords signed in 2020.
France and the UK have also urged Israel not to retaliate against recognitions with unilateral moves. Germany cautioned that annexation would undermine the possibility of a two-state solution, describing recognition of Palestine as a step that must be part of a wider negotiated process.
The Arab League, which declared in July that Hamas should play no future role in governance, has pushed for power to be transferred to a reformed PA backed by international support. The PA itself has said it is ready to take charge of both Gaza and the West Bank under such an arrangement.
