Arab Leaders Gather in Saudi Arabia to Discuss Trump’s Election Win

Photo : AP

Arab and Muslim leaders are gathering in Saudi Arabia this Monday for a pivotal summit that will address the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. The meeting, which will also serve as a platform to send a message to the newly re-elected US President Donald Trump, comes as part of a broader initiative by Saudi Arabia to emphasize its role in regional geopolitics and its stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Saudi foreign ministry had previously announced plans for the summit in late October, during a meeting in Riyadh that launched a new "international alliance" aimed at pushing for the establishment of a Palestinian state. This summit follows the previous year’s similar gathering in Riyadh, which brought together the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). That summit was marked by strong condemnation of Israeli military actions in Gaza, which were termed as “barbaric” by the participating leaders.

This year, the summit takes place against the backdrop of the re-election of Donald Trump, whose presidency continues to have a significant influence on Middle Eastern politics. According to experts, including Anna Jacobs, senior Gulf analyst for the International Crisis Group, the summit presents an opportunity for regional leaders to signal their expectations to the incoming Trump administration. While many anticipate a message focused on dialogue and de-escalation, the leaders are also expected to call out Israeli military campaigns, urging greater international attention to the ongoing violence in Gaza and Lebanon.

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The war in Gaza, which began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, has had devastating consequences. The attack, which killed over 1,200 people, most of them civilians, sparked a retaliatory Israeli campaign that has claimed the lives of more than 43,600 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians. Additionally, Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, began launching retaliatory attacks on Israel after the escalation. The situation remains tense, with regular cross-border exchanges and an intensified Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon since late September.

Despite international criticism of the Israeli military's impact on Gaza civilians, outgoing US President Joe Biden maintained strong military support for Israel throughout the conflict. Biden’s administration reaffirmed its role as Israel’s chief military ally, while Trump, in his first term, showed even firmer support for Israel. Trump’s actions included moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, a decision that defied international consensus, and endorsing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. Additionally, Trump's administration played a key role in brokering the Abraham Accords, normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Although Saudi Arabia did not join the Abraham Accords, it had previously cultivated a close relationship with Trump, and this diplomatic connection has continued through the Biden years. However, Saudi Arabia has made it clear that any potential normalization of relations with Israel, including a US-brokered deal, hinges on the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Experts, including Umer Karim, a Saudi political analyst at the University of Birmingham, suggest that this summit is a strategic opportunity for Saudi Arabia to assert itself as a key regional partner to the United States. Saudi Arabia's message, Karim notes, will likely emphasize that Trump can rely on the kingdom as the representative of the Muslim world. It is also a signal that Saudi Arabia remains a vital partner for advancing American interests in the region.

The summit will also see the participation of various countries from the 57-member OIC and 22-member Arab League. The discussions will likely include contentious issues, such as severing diplomatic and economic ties with Israel and pushing for greater American leverage on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Previous summits have been marked by disagreements on how far these measures should go, particularly in terms of disrupting Israeli oil supplies.

In a notable shift in regional diplomacy, the November 2023 summit saw the participation of Iran's then-president, Ebrahim Raisi, indicating a shift in Middle Eastern politics. The Saudi-Iranian relations, which had been strained for years, have undergone a transformation since March 2023, when the two countries announced a China-brokered rapprochement. This thaw in relations has opened the door for regular high-level discussions between the two nations as they work to contain conflicts across the region.

As part of the evolving diplomatic efforts, reports indicate that the chief of staff of the Saudi armed forces was scheduled to visit Tehran on Sunday for talks, marking a rare high-level exchange between the two countries. This visit is seen as a continuation of the broader efforts to stabilize the region and move toward de-escalation in various ongoing conflicts.

The outcome of this summit could have significant implications for the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US relations with Arab nations, and the overall political landscape of the Middle East. The leaders are expected to use the platform to call for a unified stance on these pressing issues, with an emphasis on ending the violence and securing a lasting peace in the region.