“This meeting is part of the private friendly gatherings that have been regularly held for many years between the leaders of the GCC states, Jordan, and Egypt, reflecting the strong brotherly ties between the leaders, which enhances cooperation and coordination,” an official source told Saudi Press Agency (SPA) 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, the official source added.
The informal gathering in Riyadh is expected to focus on Arab responses to recent proposals by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi travelled to Saudi Arabia to attend the meeting, which will serve as a prelude to the broader Arab League summit on Palestinian developments.
Trump’s controversial proposal, which surfaced earlier in February, suggests Washington take control over Gaza, forcibly displace its native Palestinian population from their land, and not allow them to return to execute a so-called “Middle East Riviera.”
The plan has sparked global condemnation, particularly as the U.S. president has cited Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab nations as potential destinations for Palestinians.
Cairo, Amman, and several Arab states swiftly rejected the proposal, considering it a direct threat to Palestinian historical rights and regional stability.
They have warned that any attempt to displace Palestinians from their land would effectively liquidate their cause, urging international recognition of a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders under the two-state solution.
Cairo’s emergency Arab summit aims to formulate a unified Arab stance against Trump's ethnic cleansing proposal.
On Sunday, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Hossam Zaki stated that the summit was rescheduled from 27 February due to logistical concerns as Egypt seeks to ensure maximum Arab leader participation to strengthen the summit’s impact.
Zaki explained that the emergency summit in Cairo aims to establish a strong and unified Arab stance on the Palestinian cause, particularly in response to Israeli and US schemes to dispossess the Palestinians.
In tandem, Cairo has been developing a comprehensive plan for the immediate reconstruction of the strip without any displacement of the Palestinian people.
On Wednesday, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated that Egypt possesses the expertise and capabilities to rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by 15 months of Israeli aggression, within a timeframe of up to three years.
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