RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman has invited the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), along with the King of Jordan and the President of Egypt, for an informal gathering in Riyadh on Friday.
This meeting is part of the private friendly gatherings that have been regularly held for many years between the leaders of the GCC states of Jordan, and Egypt, reflecting the strong brotherly ties between the leaders, which contribute to enhancing cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.
Joint Arab action and any relevant decisions will be included in the agenda of the upcoming Extraordinary Arab Summit, which will be held in Egypt on March 4.
Displacement of Palestinians from Gaza
The meeting in Riyadh follows a proposal by US President Donald Trump to take over Gaza and resettle its Palestinian inhabitants to develop it into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Earlier this month Trump, standing next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House had said the Palestinians would be better off living outside of Gaza which has been bombed to rubble during Israel’s 15-month relentless attacks.
“I don’t think people should be going back,” Trump said. “You can’t live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location. I think it should be a location that’s going to make people happy.”
The president insists Egypt and Jordan would have to take the Gazans he plans to displace. Egypt and Jordan have rejected the idea outright.
Trump also did not rule out the use of American troops to help reconstruct the enclave and ensure the ownership of the territory, which he said could become the “Riviera of the Middle East,” given its temperate climate and prime location on the Mediterranean coast.
According to Gaza authorities, the Israeli relentless bombardment on the Palestinian territory has killed more than 47,000 of the nearly 2 million Palestinians who live there.
ALSO READ: US Will Take and Run Gaza: Trump Tells Jordanian King
Saudi Arabia also rejected any efforts to displace Palestinians from their land and reaffirmed its support for an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Kingdom called its position non-negotiable and said it wouldn’t establish diplomatic relations with Israel unless the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
The Saudi foreign ministry in a statement said, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses its previously announced categorical rejection of any violation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian territories, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.”
