Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed a host of regional Arab leaders to Riyadh on Friday for what Saudi media described as an “informal brotherly gathering” to discuss “cooperation and coordination.”
Among those invited were Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and representatives from a variety of Arab governments including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Kuwait.
While official statements out of Riyadh only vaguely described the objective of the meeting as further cooperation and improving diplomatic ties among those present, multiple reports elsewhere citing anonymous sources in the know indicated that a primary topic of discussion was President Donald Trump’s plan for the United States to “take over” the Gaza Strip, evacuate its vulnerable civilians, and rebuild the area entirely. Trump suggested this month that Gaza has the potential to become the “Riviera of the Middle East” under American administration, outraging local Arab governments who oppose allowing Palestinian civilians to escape the horrors of war-torn Gaza. (Read More)
