Trump To Chair Meeting With Muslim-Majority Leaders On Gaza Ahead Of UN General Assembly Address. What's On Platter?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump is set to meet with leaders and officials from several Muslim-majority nations on Tuesday to address the escalating crisis in Gaza, which continues to face heavy attacks from Israel, a key US ally.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Monday that Trump will hold a multilateral meeting with representatives from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan.

According to a report by Reuters, citing a source familiar with the discussions, the situation in Gaza will be a central topic.

Also Read: Hamas asks Trump to guarantee 60-day ceasefire in exchange for releasing half of Gaza hostages: Report

In addition to freeing hostages and ending the war, Trump is expected to discuss U.S. plans around an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza, without Hamas involvement, according to Axios.

Washington 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, Axios reported.

Trump to address UNGA

Trump will address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, a day after dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift nearly two years into the Gaza war that faces fierce resistance from Israel and the United States.

Also Read: Gaza children face battle for survival: 10 disturbing photos of horrific hunger crisis and misery

The nations said a two-state solution was the only way to achieve peace, but Israel said the recognition of a Palestinian state was a reward for extremism.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel's assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed tens of thousands, internally displaced Gaza's entire population, and set off a starvation crisis. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry assessed that it amounts to genocide .

Israel calls its actions self-defence after an October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people and in which more than 250 were taken hostage. Israel has also bombed Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Qatar during the course of its war in Gaza.

Also Read: 'Statehood for Palestinians a right, not reward', says UN, reiterates two-state solution amid Israel's war in Gaza

Trump had promised a quick end to the war in Gaza, but a resolution remains elusive eight months into his term.

Trump's term began with a two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which ended when Israeli strikes killed 400 Palestinians on March 18. More recently, images of starving Palestinians, including children, have sparked global outrage against Israel's assault on Gaza.

In February, Trump proposed a U.S. takeover of Gaza and a permanent displacement of Palestinians from there. It was labelled as an“ethnic cleansing” proposal by rights experts and the United Nations. Forcible displacement is illegal under international law. Trump cast the plan as a redevelopment idea.

Genocide in Gaza

Gaza's Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run administration and is staffed by medical professionals, reports that over 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict escalated.

While the ministry does not specify how many of those killed were civilians versus combatants, it states that women and children account for roughly half of the deaths.

The concept of genocide was formally defined in a 1948 United Nations convention, created in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Under this definition, genocide refers to acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

Also Read: How Macron and Saudi Arabia turned the tide on Western support for a Palestinian state

These acts include killing members of the group, causing them serious physical or mental harm, and deliberately creating living conditions intended to lead to the group's physical destruction.

Last week, a group of independent experts commissioned by the U.N. Human Rights Council released a report concluding that Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide.

Also Read: The world sees hope for a two-state solution. Israelis and Palestinians see none

Although the team does not officially represent the U.N., their assessment was based on a pattern of actions, including Israel's total siege of Gaza, the large-scale killing and wounding of Palestinians, and the widespread destruction of health and education infrastructure. Israel maintains that such facilities are used by Hamas for military purposes. The Israeli government eased a full blockade of Gaza in May, which had lasted two and a half months.

In late 2023, South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the U.N.'s top court, the International Court of Justice. About a dozen countries have joined the case. A final ruling could take years.

To prove its case, South Africa must establish intent.

Lawyers for the country have already pointed to comments by Israeli leaders, including then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, saying Israel was“fighting human animals,” and Deputy Knesset Speaker Nissim Vaturi saying that Israelis shared the goal of“erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the Earth.”

Israel under pressure

Israel is facing mounting international pressure, even from nations that have not formally labelled its actions as genocide. Across Europe, there have been protests, as well as growing calls for Israel's exclusion from cultural and sporting events.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a previously strong supporter of Israel, has now advocated for a partial suspension of trade relations. Meanwhile, both Germany and the United Kingdom, long-time allies of Israel, have either halted or limited certain arms exports to the country.

Also Read: UN Body Declares Famine in Gaza as Demands for a Truce Grow

While some experts, like academic Norman Goda, do not believe Israel's actions constitute genocide, they acknowledge the broader implications of the term.“Genocide is a legal classification,” he said,“but it also carries immense political and cultural significance. Once a nation is seen as having committed genocide, it cannot escape the shadow of that label.”

(With inputs from AP, Reuters)

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