US President Donald Trump will meet Arab and Islamic leaders on Tuesday alongside the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss Israel’s genocide on Gaza. The summit follows a surge in global recognition of Palestinian statehood, and escalating Israeli threats to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
The summit is expected to include the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, and Turkey, according to an Axios report. The meeting is set just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House on Sept. 29.
Arab leaders reportedly intend to press Trump to demand that Netanyahu end the genocide on Gaza, and abandon annexation plans in the West Bank. Meanwhile, diplomatic momentum has been building behind Palestine’s international standing. On Sunday, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal formally recognized the State of Palestine.
Israel responded with threats. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated that the fate of Israel will be “determined in Jerusalem,” and not in “London or Paris.” He accused the Palestinian Authority of “rewarding terrorists,” and affirmed that the only guarantee is “that a Palestinian state will not be established.”
The Axios report also reveals Trump is expected to hold a second meeting Tuesday with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council to address rising anger over Israel’s assassination of Hamas leaders in Qatar's capital earlier this month. Gulf states are reportedly seeking guarantees from the Trump administration that Israel will not repeat such attacks.
In early September, the Israeli military carried out a targeted airstrike in the Qatari capital Doha, killing senior Hamas officials—including the son of political bureau deputy Khalil Al-Hayya—as they convened to discuss a potential ceasefire proposal reportedly backed by the Trump administration. The strike also killed a member of Qatar’s internal security forces.
Following the airstrike, Netanyahu doubled down on his campaign to eliminate Hamas leadership “anytime and anywhere.” Posting on X, he accused Hamas officials in Qatar of obstructing prisoner exchange negotiations, and not caring for the people in Gaza. He further claimed their assassination would be necessary to achieve military objectives in Gaza.
