Riyadh: Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit on February 20 to discuss Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, a source with knowledge of the preparations said on Friday.
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE will attend the summit, which will take place ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on February 27 on the same issue, the source said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, another source said the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, would also attend.
Trump sparked a global outcry with his proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and to move more than two million Palestinians out of the territory, citing Egypt or Jordan as possible destinations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since suggested Saudi Arabia could also host Palestinians, in remarks that drew condemnation from the Arab world, but which some Israeli media characterised as a joke.
Arab countries have come together in a rare united front, outraged by the idea of displacing the Palestinians en masse.
For Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the "Nakba", or catastrophe — the mass displacement of their ancestors during Israel's creation in 1948.
But Trump has threatened to cut off a vital aid lifeline to long-standing allies Jordan and Egypt should they refuse to come on board.
Jordan is already home to more than two million Palestinian refugees. More than half of the country's population of 11 million is of Palestinian origin.
Egypt put forward its own proposal for the reconstruction of Gaza under a framework that would allow for the Palestinians to remain in the territory.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday the United States was eager to hear new proposals on Gaza from Arab governments but that, "right now the only plan — they don't like it — but the only plan is the Trump plan".
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia also expressed willingness on Friday to host a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, who is pushing Ukraine peace talks.
Trump had raised the prospect of a Saudi meeting on Wednesday after he held a surprise phone call with Putin, who ordered the attack of Ukraine in 2022.
The two leaders were "going to meet probably in Saudi Arabia the first time", Trump said to reporters. — AFP
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