Emergency Summit: Egypt to Convene Arab States to Discuss Palestinian Developments
Egypt will host an emergency Arab summit late February to discuss the “serious developments” of the Palestinian issue, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
The summit comes against the backdrop of US and Israeli calls for displacing Palestinians from their lands and resettling them in neighboring countries. The Arab countries have expressed firm rejection of these calls, stressing their support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.
Emergency Arab Summit
On Sunday, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement announcing that it will host an emergency Arab summit on February 27, 2025 to discuss the latest and “serious” developments of the Palestinian issue.
The statement said that the summit comes upon Palestine’s request, after coordination with Bahrain, the Arab Summit’s current head, and the Arab League. It also follows high-level consultations with Arab countries over the past several days.
High-level Coordination
Cairo has been making extensive efforts to coordinate the Arab countries’ positions and discuss the latest developments of the Palestinian issue, particularly the catastrophic conditions in Gaza and the West Bank, reported Asharq Al-Awsat.
Upon the directives of Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, made extensive calls with his Arab counterparts, including the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and the Foreign Ministers of the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Sudan.
Rejecting Palestinian Displacement
The emergency Arab summit follows the increasing calls from American and Israeli officials to displace the Palestinian people from Gaza and resettle them elsewhere. The US President, Donald Trump, called for relocating Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan, suggesting that the US will take over the Gaza Strip and transform it into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Furthermore, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, suggested that Palestinians could establish a state on Saudi territory.
These statements on Palestinians displacement have sparked regional and international condemnation, with Arab and global leaders warning that such a move could threaten regional stability and bring more conflict.
Arab Solidarity
The Arab countries have shown great support and solidarity to the Palestinian people, reaffirming their legitimate rights of an independent state on the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and rejecting Trump and Netanyahu’s remarks.
In the light of this, several Arab countries strongly denounced the US President’s proposal and the Israeli Prime Minister’s remarks on displacing Palestinians. In this context, Egypt issued a statement rejecting Netanyahu’s “irresponsible and completely unacceptable” remarks, confirming that Saudi Arabia’s security and sovereignty are “a red line” that Egypt will not allow to be crossed.
The UAE also slammed the Israeli “reprehensible and provocative” remarks, expressing full solidarity with Saudi Arabia. Moreover, many Arab countries issued statements condemning Netanyahu’s remarks, including Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan, in addition to the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Saudi Support for Palestinian Cause
Saudi Arabia has been steadfast in its support for the Palestinian people. In a series of statements, the Kingdom has reaffirmed its unwavering support of establishing an independent Palestinian state, rejecting any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The Kingdom has also reiterated its position that it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Furthermore, the Kingdom stressed its categorical rejection of “such statements that aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian brothers in Gaza, including the ethnic cleansing they are subjected to.”
Saudi Arabia also emphasized its position that “lasting peace will not be achieved except by returning to the logic of reason and accepting the principle of peaceful coexistence through the two-state solution.”
Two-State Solution
All Arab countries have underlined their support for the two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.
In the light of this, Saudi Arabia created the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-state Solution in September 2024, urging other countries to join the alliance and recognize Palestine. During its first high-level meeting on October 30, 2024 in Riyadh, participants called for bold and decisive actions towards implementing the two-state solution.
The Kingdom also stressed the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the urgent need for an independent Palestinian state during the Arab-Islamic Follow-up Summit in Riyadh, held in November 2024.
Moreover, Egypt hosted an Arab Six-Party Consultative Meeting in Cairo, on February 1, 2025. The meeting brought together representatives from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, and Palestine, as well as the Secretary-General of the Arab League.
According to the meeting’s joint statement, participants rejected any attempts to divide Gaza, calling on the international community, the international and regional powers, and the UN Security Council to start the actual implementation of the two-state solution.
