A meeting held between United States (US) President Donald Trump and leaders of Muslim-majority nations, including Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, focused on the situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East.
Leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye and Indonesia also attended the 50-minute meeting.
The meeting saw Trump call it an honour to meet Islamic leaders, and praised their efforts, saying, “You all have done an excellent job, which is commendable”.
Later, Trump declared the meeting extremely important. Speaking to the media, he said that the war in Gaza could possibly be concluded soon, adding, “We are going to end something that we did not start”.
He also outlined US plans for an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza without Hamas involvement, US media has reported.
Axios reported that the US wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to secure funding for transition and rebuilding programs.
Israel faces global condemnation and isolation over its genocide in Gaza, where local health authorities say more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed. Other estimates have placed the number as high as 400,000.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) member Turkiye castigated Israel’s attacks on Gaza and said they amount to genocide. Turkiye has halted all trade with Israel, urged international measures against it, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Erdogan spoke to reporters after the meeting, saying a joint declaration from the meeting would be published and that he was “pleased” with the outcomes of the meeting, but did not elaborate. None of the other Muslim leaders spoke to the media after the meeting.
Speaking to reporters earlier at the UN, PM Shehbaz commended President Trump and his team for playing a significant role in the ceasefire between Pakistan and India during the May conflict, describing the US president as a strong advocate for peace and stability across the globe.
“President Donald Trump is a man of peace. He, along with his team, played a key role in bringing about the ceasefire between Pakistan and India,” said Sharif.