On September 23, U.S. President Donald Trump held a meeting in New York, coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly, with leaders from Arab and Muslim countries including Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. According to Axios, Trump proposed a plan to end the Gaza conflict, which received a positive response from many countries.
This was the first time President Trump, since taking office in January, introduced a concrete plan for ending the Gaza conflict. He underscored the urgency to end the war in Gaza swiftly, citing Israel’s increasing international isolation.
The principles proposed by Trump for ending the conflict included the release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, a gradual withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, establishing a post-war governance system in Gaza excluding Hamas, forming a security assurance force comprising Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim troops, financial support from Arab and Muslim countries for Gaza’s new administration and reconstruction, and some involvement of the Palestinian Authority.
The proposals incorporated ideas discussed over the past six months and updates from suggestions by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Trump asked Arab leaders to support these principles and join in the post-Gaza war planning.
In response, Arab leaders set conditions that Israel must not annex the West Bank or occupy parts of Gaza, and also called for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, a halt to settlement construction there, and the maintenance of the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Axios and Politico reported that Trump declared he would not allow Israel to annex parts of the West Bank. At the end of the talks, Arab leaders endorsed Trump’s principles and committed to participating in post-war plans. The following day, Egypt issued a separate statement supporting Trump’s plan, and seven other countries released a joint statement expressing their intent to cooperate with Trump.
Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Gary Wittekopf met with foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan to refine Trump’s plan for ending the conflict. Trump is expected to present and persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow this plan during his visit to the White House on September 29.