Trump’s Mideast Proposal is Last Chance for Peace in the Region: Egyptian Prez

The aim of the summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh was to support the ceasefire reached in Gaza, end the Israel-Hamas war and develop a long-term vision for governing and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.

The meeting appeared designed to rally international support behind Trump’s vision of ending the war. Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, co-chair of the summit, told Trump that “only you” can bring peace to the region.

Trump’s plan raises the possibility of a Palestinian state, but only after a long transition period in Gaza and a reform process carried out by the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes Palestinian independence. Trump did not mention the two-state solution at the summit.

In his speech at the summit, Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East, saying the region had a “once-in-a-lifetime chance to leave old animosities and bitter hatreds behind.” He called on leaders to “declare that our future will not be governed by the quarrels of past generations.”

Israel and Hamas have faced pressure from the United States, Arab countries and Türkiye to agree on the first phase of a ceasefire agreement negotiated through mediators in Qatar. It started on Friday.

On Monday, Trump, el-Sissi, the emir of Qatar and the president of Türkiye signed a document. Trump said the document “explains a lot of rules and regulations and a lot of other things, and it’s very comprehensive.” The document was not shared with journalists in the room or made public.

The summit took place shortly after Hamas released the 20 surviving Israeli hostages and Israel began taking significant steps under the ceasefire to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons. But significant questions remain about what will happen next, raising the risk of a return to war.

More than 20 world leaders attended the summit, including Jordan’s King Abdullah, the French president and the British prime minister.

A Turkish government official said that Türkiye launched a “diplomatic initiative” to prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from attending the meeting, and that Netanyahu decided not to come after other countries supported this effort.

The official did not confirm reports in Turkish media that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plane circled over the Red Sea after Erdogan threatened to boycott the meeting, and that the plane only landed after it became clear that Netanyahu would not come. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.

Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had warned Egyptian and US officials that he would withdraw from the summit if Netanyahu attended, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency.

Netanyahu’s office announced that he would not attend the meeting, citing the Jewish holiday.

Israel has denied any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose leader Mahmoud Abbas is based in Sharm el-Sheikh.

On a new note, El-Sissi’s office said the summit aimed to “end the war” in Gaza and “open a new page in peace and regional stability” in line with Trump’s vision.

It was not possible to directly address the problems in depth in the meeting, which lasted only three hours and was mostly ceremonial. At the summit, world leaders lined up one by one to take photos with Trump, who smiled and gave the photographers a thumbs-up. Afterwards, el-Sissi welcomed Trump, invited him to the stage and asked him to join the ranks of “peace-loving” world leaders.

Before Trump arrived in Egypt from Israel, Egyptian Air Force jets escorted Air Force One for a spin over the facility.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the success of Trump’s vision for Middle East peace will depend on his continued commitment to the process, including applying pressure on the parties and deploying military forces as part of the international contingent expected to carry out peacekeeping duties in the next phase.

“We need American intervention, even deployment in the field, to determine the mission, mandate and mandate of this force,” Abdelatty told the Associated Press.

In the first phase, Israeli troops withdrew from some areas of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes from the areas they had to evacuate. Aid groups are preparing to bring large amounts of aid supplies to the region, which have been kept outside the region for months.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also praised Trump’s efforts to promote peace in various parts of the world in his statement. He said Pakistan had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in helping ease tensions between India and Pakistan.

Critical challenges ahead The next phase of the agreement will address the disarmament of Hamas, the establishment of a post-war government for Gaza, and the extent of Israel’s withdrawal from the region. Trump’s plan also calls for regional and international partners to work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.

Abdelatty said he needed a UN Security Council resolution to approve the deployment of the international force.

He said Hamas would not have any role in the transition period in Gaza. A 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats, unaffiliated with any Palestinian group and vetted by Israel, will manage day-to-day affairs in Gaza. Abdelatty said the committee would receive support and oversight from a “Peace Board” he proposed to oversee the implementation of phases of Trump’s plan.

“We trust Trump to continue implementing this plan through all phases,” he told the AP.

Another important issue is providing funds for the reconstruction of Gaza. The World Bank and Egypt’s post-war plan estimates reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza at $53 billion. Egypt plans to host an early rescue and reconstruction conference for Gaza in November.

Roles of other countries Türkiye, which hosted Hamas’s political leaders for years, played a key role in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

Jordan will train the new Palestinian security force together with Egypt.

Germany, one of Israel’s strongest international supporters and a leading supplier of military equipment, was represented by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He expressed concern about Israel’s conduct of the war and its plan to take over Gaza militarily.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who attended the meeting, said he would pledge 20 million British pounds ($27 million) to help provide water and sanitation to Gaza and that Britain would host a three-day conference on Gaza’s reconstruction and recovery.

Iran, one of Hamas’ main supporters, did not attend the meeting. The Islamic Republic is experiencing one of its weakest moments since the 1979 revolution. Iranian officials described the ceasefire agreement as a victory for Hamas.

But the deal underlined Iran’s declining influence in the region and revived concerns about a possible conflict with Israel as Iran tries to recover from a 12-day war between the two countries in June.