President Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff presented Arab and Muslim leaders with a "21-point plan" for ending the war in Gaza and for post-Hamas governance on Tuesday, garnering positive responses from the attendees.
Why it matters: It's the first time Trump has presented a U.S. plan for ending the war in Gaza. On Wednesday, several leaders issued statements praising it.
- Trump told the leaders at the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that the war must end urgently, two sources said.
- Trump noted that he's presenting the plan because every day the war continues, Israel becomes more and more isolated internationally, one source added.
- "We're hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we'll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough," Witkoff said on Wednesday.
Driving the news: The sources said the US. proposals were variations of ideas that have been discussed over the last six months, and updates to ideas developed by Trump's son in law Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The main principles are:
- The release of all remaining hostages.
- A permanent ceasefire.
- Gradual Israeli withdrawal from all of the Gaza Strip.
- A post-war plan that includes a governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas.
- A security force that would include Palestinians but also soldiers from Arab and Muslim countries.
- Funding from Arab and Muslim countries for the new administration in Gaza and for reconstruction of the enclave.
- Some involvement of the Palestinian Authority.
The sources noted that Trump asked the Arab and Muslim leaders for their support of these principles and their commitment to take part in the post-war plan for Gaza.
The other side: The meeting was attended by 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 presented Trump with several conditions for supporting his plan:
- Israel will not annex parts of the West Bank or Gaza.
- Israel will not occupy parts of Gaza.
- Israel will not build settlements in Gaza.
- Israel will stop undermining the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Humanitarian aid to Gaza will immediately increase.
Trump made it clear to the Arab and Muslim leaders that he would not allow Israel to annex parts of the West Bank, two sources said.
- Politico reported first on Trump's pledge to prevent annexation.
- At the end of the meeting, the Arab and Muslim leaders expressed support for the American principles and committed to taking part in the post-war plan, the sources said.
What they're saying: In a joint statement on Wednesday, the leaders of seven Arab and Muslim countries that attended the summit expressed support for Trump's plan.
- "We reaffirm our commitment to cooperate with President Trump and emphasize the importance of his leadership in order to end the war and open horizons for a just and lasting peace," they said.
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a separate statement in support of Trump's plan.
- "I appreciate the efforts of President Trump to stop the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip in particular, and his pursuit of peace in the Middle East at large. I value the proposals he presented during his meeting yesterday in New York with a number of Arab and Islamic leaders, which I view as an important foundation upon which we can build further in the coming period to achieve peace," al-Sisi said.
One Arab official who attended the meeting said it was clear "very good" and stressed "Trump is definitely committed to ending the war."
- Another Arab official said the participants left the meeting "very hopeful."
- "For the first time we felt there was a serious plan on the table. President Trump wants this chapter to be over so that we can move forward to better things in the region," the official said.
State of play: On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff had a follow up meeting with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, to turn the principles Trump presented into a more detailed and operational plan.
What's next: Israeli officials noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is generally aware of the U.S. principles and that his confidant Ron Dermer has recently held discussions on the subject with Kushner and Blair.
- Trump told the Arab leaders that the next step is to discuss the plan with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday in order to secure his support, according to a source familiar with the contents of the meeting.
- "The U.S. outline was good but needed a bit more refining with input from Arab countries. After it is finalized the U.S. will have to sell it to Bibi," an Arab official said.
Go deeper: Trump's middle finger to the UN: "Your countries are going to hell"
