Trump to meet Arab leaders in New York on Gaza war - Axios

The White House has already sent invitations. The meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday at 2:30 PM ET, just days before Trump's scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 29. It comes amid a wave of Palestinian recognition and Israeli threats to annex parts of the West Bank.

Officials from Arab states said leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey have been invited.

The White House also wants these countries to participate in a post-war plan for Gaza and may even consider sending troops to join stabilization forces that would replace the Israeli army.

Arab leaders are expected to ask Trump to pressure Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza and refrain from annexing parts of the West Bank.

The UAE has already warned the White House that Israeli annexation could jeopardize the Abraham Accords, which are Trump's key foreign policy achievement from his first presidential term.

Axios sources also said that on September 23, Trump plans a separate meeting with leaders from several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

"A key issue in that meeting would be the concerns of the Gulf countries about the Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar. It was the first-ever Israeli attack on one of the Gulf countries," Axios reported.

Officials said they want assurances from the Trump administration that similar attacks will not occur again.

Gaza war and Palestinian recognition

After Hamas invaded Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israel launched a war against the group.

Nearly two years later, on the night of September 16, the Israel Defense Forces began a full-scale ground operation to occupy the city of Gaza.

As the war continues and Israel blocks the creation of a Palestinian state, several European and other countries have announced plans to recognize Palestine.

Today, the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, and Portugal officially recognized Palestine as a state, emphasizing that Hamas, as a terrorist organization, cannot have a future or any role in a Palestinian security government.

In response, Netanyahu promised an answer in the coming days. Following statements from the UK, Canada, and Australia, with Portugal joining later, several Israeli ministers called for annexing occupied parts of the West Bank.