RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will not attend Tuesday’s Arab League summit on Gaza in Cairo, with his top diplomat heading the delegation instead, state media said.
The announcement came less than two weeks after the heir to the Saudi throne hosted Arab leaders to discuss countering President Donald Trump’s plan for US control of Gaza and the expulsion of its people.
“On behalf of… King Salman… Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived today in Cairo to head the Kingdom’s delegation participating in the extraordinary Arab summit,” the Saudi Press Agency said.
Trump triggered global outrage when he first floated his idea for the United States to “take over” the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, while forcing its Palestinian residents to relocate to Egypt and Jordan.
Arab foreign ministers met Monday in Cairo for a closed-door meeting to prepare a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its people, an Arab League source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
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The plan “would be presented to Arab leaders at Tuesday’s summit for approval”, the source said.
The Arab League summit follows renewed backing of Trump’s plan from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who labelled it “visionary and innovative”.
Palestinians, Arab states and many US and Israeli partners have rejected Trump’s proposal, opposing any efforts to expel Gazans.
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