RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host the leaders of four Arab countries at a summit on February 20 to discuss President Donald Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza, a source with knowledge of the preparations.
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will attend the summit, to take place ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo one week later on the same issue, the source said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, another source said Palestinian president Mahmud 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 war-devastated territory, citing Egypt or Jordan as possible destinations.
Trump made the proposal during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington.
Arab countries have come together in a rare united front, outraged by the idea of displacing the Palestinians 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.
