RIYADH — Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman will hold an informal fraternal meeting with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Riyadh on Friday, Feb. 21. The meeting follows an invitation extended by the Crown Prince to these leaders, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting an official Saudi source. This meeting comes within the context of the special friendly meetings that have been held periodically for many years between the leaders of the GCC, Jordan and Egypt, the source said. The meeting is within the framework of the close fraternal relations that bring together these leaders and that contribute to enhancing cooperation and coordination between the GCC countries, Jordan and Egypt. The decisions taken with regard to Arab joint work will be on the agenda of the upcoming emergency Arab summit that will be held in Egypt, the source added. Egypt confirmed on Tuesday that it will host an emergency Arab summit on March 4 to discuss plans to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing its Palestinian inhabitants. The summit was originally scheduled to be held on Feb. 27, but was postponed to March 4 "to complete logistical preparations," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the new date was set in coordination with Bahrain, the current chair of the Arab League, and in consultation with other Arab countries. The Arab summit follows a proposal by US President Donald Trump to take over Gaza and resettle its Palestinian inhabitants to develop it into what he called "the Riviera of the Middle East." On Sunday, Egyptian President El-Sisi confirmed that his country is preparing a "comprehensive" plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinians. Trump's plan for Palestinian resettlement has been rejected outright by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing. The controversial idea came amid the ceasefire agreement that took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel's genocidal war, which has killed nearly 48,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins. Egypt has said its "comprehensive vision" for the reconstruction of the war-torn Gaza Strip guarantees Palestinians the right to stay on their land, unlike the proposal put forward by US President Donald Trump. The Egyptian foreign ministry said it hoped to cooperate with the Trump administration to reach "a just settlement of the Palestinian cause". This followed Trump's meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah on Feb. 11, where he doubled down on his plan for the US to take over Gaza and permanently move the two million Palestinians living there to Jordan, Egypt and other locations. King Abdullah said every Arab state rejected the idea, and that Egypt would present an alternative. The United Nations has warned that any forced displacement of the territory's population would be illegal under international law and "tantamount to ethnic cleansing". The six-party Arab ministerial meeting held in Cairo on Feb. 1 reaffirmed its categorical rejection of any such relocation move and emphasized the need for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement. The ministers reiterated their commitment to working with U.S. administration to achieve a two-state solution, stressing the importance of a sustainable ceasefire that ensures the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of Gaza. The meeting also underscored support for ongoing mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to ensure the phased execution of the ceasefire agreement and the eventual achievement of full de-escalation. They urged the international community and the UN Security Council to uphold the two-state solution and dismissed any plans to divide the Gaza Strip, reiterating the necessity of an Israeli withdrawal. Saudi Arabia, the regional heavyweight, remains opposed to any plans on displacing the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and is committed to a two-state solution. It reiterated that any hopes of a normalization deal between the Kingdom and Israel are futile without a Palestinian state. Riyadh unequivocally rejected calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza and condemned the ongoing targeting of civilians in the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of abiding by the decisions of the UN Security Council and the Arab Peace Initiative, aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive solution. This includes the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Kingdom urged commitment to the peace process, in accordance with international resolutions and initiatives, to bring about a fair and lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue.
