Donald Trump presented to Arab and Muslim leaders in New York a “21-point plan” aimed at ending the war in Gaza and establishing post-war governance of the enclave, securing their positive response. This marks the first time Trump has presented an American proposal to address the Gaza crisis.
Read: Politico: Trump promises Arab leaders West Bank will not be annexed
According to Axios sources, he emphasized that the conflict must end immediately, as “every day it continues, Israel becomes more internationally isolated.” Witkoff stated Wednesday that “we are optimistic, and I would even say confident, that progress will be announced soon.” The same sources clarified that the plan is based on ideas discussed over the past six months, with adaptations from proposals presented by Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Key principles of Trump’s “21-point plan”
According to the same sources, the central principles of Trump’s proposal are:
- Release of all remaining hostages.
- Permanent ceasefire.
- Gradual Israeli withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip.
- Post-war plan providing for a Gaza governance mechanism without Hamas.
- Creation of a security force that would include Palestinians as well as soldiers from Arab and Muslim countries.
- Funding from Arab and Muslim countries for the new Gaza administration and reconstruction of the enclave.
- Some form of Palestinian Authority involvement.
Trump asked the Arab and Muslim leaders for their support of these principles, as well as their commitment to participate in the post-war plan for Gaza.
Conditions set by Arab state leaders
The meeting included leaders and senior officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan.
According to two sources, the Arab leaders set specific conditions for Trump to support his plan:
- Israel must not annex parts of the West Bank or Gaza.
- Israel must not occupy territories in Gaza.
- Israel must not build settlements in Gaza.
- Stop undermining the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Immediately increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Trump, according to the same sources, assured the Arab and Muslim leaders that he would not allow Israel to annex parts of the West Bank. Politico had earlier made this specific revelation.
At the end of the meeting, the Arab and Muslim leaders expressed their support for the American principles of the plan and committed to participate in the post-war plan for Gaza.
Arab and Muslim leaders jointly support Trump plan
In a joint statement Wednesday, leaders of seven Arab and Muslim countries who participated in the New York meeting expressed their support for the American president’s plan. “We reaffirm our commitment to work with President Trump and emphasize the decisive role of his leadership in ending the war and achieving just and lasting peace,” they stated.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a separate statement welcoming the initiative. “I appreciate President Trump’s efforts to stop the ongoing war in Gaza and his pursuit of peace in the Middle East overall. I consider the proposals he presented in yesterday’s meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders as an important foundation upon which we can build in the coming period,” he stated.
“First time we felt there was a serious plan on the table”
Arab officials who participated in the summit emphasized that the meeting was “very good” and that Trump “is absolutely committed to ending the war.”
Another official noted that participants left “very optimistic,” saying that “for the first time we felt there was a serious plan on the table. President Trump wants this chapter to close, so the region can move toward better days.”
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff had a new meeting with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan to transform the plan’s principles into a more detailed and operational plan.
Netanyahu informed of US basic principles
Israeli officials reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is already aware of the basic principles presented by the US and that his trusted associate, Ron Dermer, recently had discussions on the matter with Kushner and Blair.
According to a source, Trump told the Arab leaders that the next step is presenting the plan to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House to secure his support. “The American framework was good but needed more work with Arab countries’ input. Once finalized, the US will have to ‘sell’ it to Bibi,” an Arab official characteristically stated.
