The eyes of the Arab world are set on the upcoming emergency Arab League summit, scheduled for February 27, 2025, in Cairo. This gathering is regarded as a significant milestone in shaping the Arab world’s stance on the Palestinian issue.
For Palestinians, as well as Egypt and Jordan, the summit represents a crucial opportunity to counter what they perceive as American 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 confronting these challenges.
The most pressing concern is President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other regional nations—a move seen as a direct threat to Arab national security.
The emergency summit is expected to be a pivotal moment in the Arab world’s response to growing regional challenges, especially the U.S. administration’s unreserved support for Israel and efforts to establish new realities on the ground, that they claim undermine Palestinian rights.
A Strategic Opportunity for Pressure
Senior security officials anticipate that the Palestinians, Egypt, and Jordan will seek to use the summit as leverage to pressure the international community into opposing Trump’s emigration plan. They aim to push global actors beyond verbal condemnations toward concrete actions.
Palestinian Authority (PA) officials insist that 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 capitalize on unwavering U.S. support while shifting the Palestinian refugee problem to neighboring states.
A senior PA official warns that the Arab world is now at a crossroads: it must choose between continued passivity or decisive action to force major powers to reconsider their policies.
Proposed Measures for Discussion at the Cairo Summit
Senior Palestinian officials have put forth several proposals for the summit:
- Challenging U.S. Interests: Consideration of measures to reduce American influence in the region, including potential restrictions on U.S. military bases, if Washington continues supporting Israeli policies.
- Reevaluating the Two-State Solution: A possible rejection of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative should Trump continue promoting the Gaza relocation plan.
- Strengthening Ties with Alternative Global Powers: Deepening diplomatic and economic relations with China, Brazil, Russia, and India—nations that oppose U.S. dominance and support Palestinian rights.
- Palestinian Reconciliation: Encouraging 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 aid and rehabilitation efforts, while presenting the Palestinians as a united political entity seeking a comprehensive resolution.
A Defining Moment for Arab Diplomacy
Senior PA officials argue that the Cairo summit is a historic test for the Arab world’s willingness to shield Palestinians from U.S. and Israeli pressures. Should the conference fail to prevent Trump from implementing his relocation plan, it would signal a dangerous precedent for the Arab League’s effectiveness.
They stress that this summit cannot be merely symbolic—it must result in tangible changes in regional and international power dynamics. Whether through economic leverage, strategic alliances, or direct support for Palestinians, decisive actions are necessary 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 erased, and a just resolution must be based on political fairness, not imposed solutions.
A Pessimistic Outlook?
Despite the significance of the summit, pessimism looms over the Arab world.
Many Arab nations show little inclination to challenge Trump’s policies, and there is widespread frustration with Hamas’s governance in Gaza.
On February 10, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit stated in an interview with Al-Arabiya: “Hamas should step down from 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 necessitate Hamas’s departure and urging the Palestinian Authority to heed Gheits’s stance.
PA sources fear that if the Arab summit fails, Trump may feel emboldened to accelerate his plan to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza. The upcoming summit, therefore, is not just another diplomatic gathering—it is a defining test for the Arab world’s role in shaping the future for Palestinians.
