The eyes of the Arab world are focused on the upcoming emergency summit of the Arab League, scheduled for February 27, 2025 in Cairo. This meeting is seen as an important milestone in shaping the Arab world's stance on the Palestinian issue.
For the Palestinians, as well as Egypt and Jordan, the summit represents a crucial opportunity to counter what they perceive as US and Israeli policies aimed at dismantling the Palestinian cause and imposing unilateral solutions.
According to these nations, Arab countries now face a serious test of their unity in facing these challenges.
Of most pressing concern is President Donald Trump's plan to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other nations in the region, a move widely seen as a direct threat to Arab national security.
The emergency summit is expected to be a crucial moment in the Arab world's response to growing regional challenges, especially the US administration's unreserved support for Israel and its efforts to establish new realities on the ground, which they say undermine Palestinian rights.
A strategic opportunity to exert pressure
Senior security officials anticipate that the Palestinians, Egypt and Jordan will try to use the summit as leverage to pressure the international community to oppose Trump's emigration plan. Their goal is to push global actors beyond verbal condemnations toward concrete actions.
Palestinian Authority (PA) officials insist the summit must send a clear and unequivocal message to Washington and Jerusalem: any unilateral solution that infringes on Palestinian rights or threatens the national security of Egypt and Jordan will be firmly rejected.
Palestinians interpret Trump's emigration plan as an attempt by Israel to cash in on unwavering US support while shifting the Palestinian refugee problem to neighboring countries.
A senior Palestinian Authority official warns that the Arab world is now at a crossroads: it must choose between remaining passive or taking decisive action to force major powers to reconsider their policies.
Measures proposed for discussion at the Cairo Summit
Senior Palestinian officials have put forward several proposals for the summit:
1. Challenging US interests: consideration of measures to reduce US influence in the region, including possible restrictions on US military bases, if Washington continues to support Israeli policies.
2. Re-evaluating the two-state solution: a possible rejection of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative if Trump continues to promote the Gaza relocation plan.
3. Strengthening ties with alternative global powers: deepening diplomatic and economic relations with China, Brazil, Russia and India, nations that oppose US dominance and support Palestinian rights.
4. Palestinian reconciliation: Fostering reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, with an emphasis on integrating Hamas into the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ending its exclusive control over Gaza. Such a move could address Western concerns that have delayed relief and rehabilitation efforts, while presenting the Palestinians as a united political entity seeking a comprehensive solution.
A decisive moment for Arab diplomacy
Senior Palestinian Authority (PA) officials say the Cairo summit is a historic test of the Arab world's willingness to protect Palestinians from US attack and Israeli pressure. If the conference fails to prevent Trump from implementing his relocation plan, it would set a dangerous precedent for the effectiveness of the Arab League.
They stress that this summit cannot be merely symbolic: it must lead to tangible changes in regional and international power dynamics. Whether through economic influence, strategic alliances or direct support for the Palestinians, decisive action is needed to ensure that the Palestinian cause is not sidelined.
The success of the summit will not be measured by rhetoric alone, but by the implementation of concrete measures that send a clear message to the United States and Israel: the Palestinian issue cannot be eliminated, and a fair resolution must be based on political equity, not imposed solutions.
A pessimistic outlook?
Despite the importance of the summit, pessimism looms over the Arab world.
Many Arab countries have shown little inclination to challenge Trump's policies, and there is widespread frustration with Hamas rule in Gaza.
On February 10, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in an interview with Al-Arabiya“Hamas should relinquish power if Palestinian interests demand it, especially given the deepening crisis in the region.”
Two days later, prominent Saudi journalist Tarek Hamid echoed this sentiment in an article for Asharq Al-Awsat, arguing that Palestinian interests require the departure of Hamas and urging the PA to heed Gheit's stance.
AP sources fear that if the Arab summit fails, Trump may feel emboldened to accelerate his plan to relocate the Palestinians out of Gaza. The upcoming summit, therefore, is not just another diplomatic meeting: it is a decisive test for the Arab world's role in shaping the future of the Palestinians.
Source: The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs