Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia hosts mini-Arab summit to create united position on Gaza crisis

Saudi Crown Prince hosts Gulf leaders to discuss Gaza crisis, emphasizing two-state solution and regional stability.

In a bid to convey a united position regarding the Trump administration’s plans for solving the Gaza crisis, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Friday hosted the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states and Jordan and Egypt. Riyadh has been decked up with many Saudi flags on the occasion of the Saudi Founding Day that will be marked on February 22, and the ‘mini Arab summit’ is being presented as a sign of carrying forward traditional Saudi commitment to peace and regional stability.

The meeting was announced by Bader Al Asaker, Head of The Private Office of His Royal Highness The Crown Prince. “A friendly, fraternal meeting in Riyadh brings together His Highness Crown Prince and Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, His Majesty the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and His Excellency, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt,” Mr. Al Asaker said in a message that was shared on his social media handles. Prior to the summit, Saudi Arabia carried out a flurry of diplomatic outreach targeting key stakeholders in the region.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Thursday briefed counterparts of the G-20 regarding the peace initiatives that Riyadh launched in consultation with other Arab countries after President Trump on February 5 put out his statement on solving the Gaza crisis through relocation of the Palestinian population to neighbouring states. Mr. Bin Farhan met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Australia’s Penny Wong, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot. He also met External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar during the same outreach. Other countries too were doing similar outreach including the Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad who visited India and Iran before flying into Riyadh for Friday’s discussion.

Earlier, the official Saudi Press Agency had announced that the “informal brotherly gathering” was aimed at “enhancing cooperation and coordination among the GCC states (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and UAE), Jordan and Egypt”. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman came out swiftly with a statement reiterating the “two-state” solution for resolving the Palestine crisis after President Trump called for “take over” of the Gaza Strip, hinting that the U.S. might annex the conflict zone. Earlier, King Abdullah of Jordan who met President Trump on February 11 also sent an “urgent message” to the White House about the regional implications of annexing Gaza Strip.

Prior to Friday, on February 19, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef met King Abdullah to brief the Jordanian side about the Saudi initiatives on Gaza and the Ukraine crises. The Jordanian side thanked Saudi Arabia for its “efforts to strengthen joint Arab action”. Amman’s official news outlet Jordan News Agency reported that during the discussion with the Saudi team, King Abdullah rejected President Trump’s proposal to “own” (annex) Gaza Strip which would lead to displacement of Palestinians from Gaza Strip and possibly also from West Bank. The ‘mini Arab summit’ is expected to give the Arab leaders a chance to deliberate about the plan for reconstruction that the Egyptian government of President El Sisi has pitched. The Egyptian idea was floated by General El Sisi in a meeting last weekend with Ronald Lauder, head of the World Jewish Congress. The next big Arab summit is scheduled to be held in Egypt on March 4 to discuss reconstruction plans in Gaza Strip.

The regional concerns about the prevailing situation escalated in the past forty-eight hours as Israeli pamphlets written in Arabic and English were dropped over Gaza Strip earlier this week calling on the population to evacuate in the backdrop of new war of words about the death of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his 4-year old brother Ariel who were among the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Israel has accused Hamas of murdering the brothers while earlier assessment had indicated that they were killed in Israeli air raids over Gaza.