European Council president to attend Arab summit

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – The European Council president Friday said he will attend an emergency Arab summit in Egypt next week.

“On 4 March, I will be attending the Summit of the League of Arab States on Gaza,” the EU Council President Antonio Costa wrote on X.

He affirmed that the EU will stay on the day after to work on a “lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-State solution.”

“I call on all parties to sustain the ceasefire deal, implement the agreement in full, and support efforts to move to phase two and a sustainable peace,” Costa added.

Egypt confirmed last week that it will host the summit to discuss plans to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing its Palestinian inhabitants.

US President Donald Trump has proposed to take over Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination.

Trump’s plan has been rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.

Talks for the second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza have started in Egypt. The first phase of the Jan. 19 deal ends on Saturday.