Officials: Egypt summit to see 4 guarantors endorse ‘broad principles’ of Trump’s Gaza plan; Israel, PA not invited

At tomorrow’s summit of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are expected to sign off on the “broad principles” of Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, a Trump administration official tells The Times of Israel.

The event, which will host more than 20 international leaders, aims for the four guarantors of Trump’s plan to “agree to the very broad principles” of the current 20-point framework. The focus of the event, according to the official, is to solidify the backing from guarantors of the deal — “not the parties” — noting that otherwise, representatives from Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority would need to be present.

Israel was not invited to the event, a separate source tells The Times of Israel.

A request from the Palestinian Authority to Sissi to get an invitation went unanswered, the US official adds. Iran does not appear on a formal list of invitees seen by the official, though Axios reported that Tehran was also invited to the summit.

The summit also “could tee up a wider movement toward normalization” with Israel in the region, a shared goal of Israel and the Trump administration, the official adds.

An Egyptian presidential spokesperson said yesterday that the summit aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability.”