New York: Just hours after denouncing international efforts to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump met leaders from across the Muslim world in New York to pitch his plan for ending Israel’s war on Gaza.
No further information on the closed-door meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, has yet been provided, but Trump said afterwards that it was “very successful,” without giving details, and Erdogan called it a “very productive and positive meeting.” Turkis News Agency Anadolu reported.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, alongside leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Türkiye and Indonesia, joined the multilateral meeting at UN headquarters.
Pakistan’s English newspaper Dawn reported that Ahead of the meeting, in a televised interaction with Muslim leaders, Trump said: “We have to get the hostages back… This is the group that can do it, more than any other group in the world… so it’s an honour to be with you.”
“We had 32 meetings here, this is the one that’s very important because we’re gonna end something that should’ve probably never started,” he said, before the start of formal consultations with world leaders.
US President Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the conclusion of the Arab-Islamic Summit. The President and the Prime Minister held an informal conversation in a cordial atmosphere.
Later, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani thanked the US president for hosting such an important meeting at this crucial time, stating that they were only there to halt the war and repatriate the prisoners. “We count on your leadership as well to end this war and to help the people of Gaza,” the Qatari leader said, Dawn newspaper reported.
The White House previously said that Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan would be represented at the leader-level meeting, but did not offer additional details.
A phased US-backed plan
According to US officials, Trump’s proposal involves a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the deployment of regional peacekeeping forces, and an internationally supported transition and reconstruction programme. The plan envisions a role for the Palestinian Authority but excludes Hamas, which both Washington and Tel Aviv insist must be dismantled.
Washington has reportedly asked Arab and Muslim countries to contribute troops and financial aid to secure Gaza’s transition. Israel’s Channel 12 and Axios reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been briefed on the plan’s outlines.
Skepticism over recognition
At the UN earlier, Trump rejected calls for Palestinian statehood, saying such recognition would “reward horrible atrocities.” Instead, he pushed for a “ceasefire-for-prisoners” deal. His position clashed with a wave of European recognition of Palestine in recent months.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later told Fox News that only a “negotiated settlement” could deliver lasting peace, describing the New York meeting as “one last shot” at ending the conflict and unlocking humanitarian aid for Gaza.
