Trump changes his stance on Gaza and calls a summit at the White House

After confirming that there would be an outcome to the conflict between Gaza and Israel in two or three weeks, the US president retracted his words at a meeting in the Oval Office, saying that ‘nothing is conclusive and this has been going on for a long time’.

Before backtracking, Donald Trump said he was very saddened by the deaths of the five journalists who were in the hospital bombed by Israel this week. ‘This should end,’ he said.

Trump also confirmed that a summit would be held at the White House to seek a solution to the conflict. According to Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, there will be significant Israeli participation. ‘Yes, we will have a big meeting at the White House, chaired by the president, and it is a very comprehensive plan that we are going to develop for the post-war period in Gaza,’ he said.

The situation of the Gazans, which has worsened dramatically in recent months and shocked the world, has prompted the Americans to seek a resolution as soon as possible. In fact, recently, the United Nations officially declared a state of famine in Gaza, for more than 500,000 people.

Witkoff clarified that the meeting will mainly address the plan for ‘the day after’ and ventured to predict when it will end: ‘We believe that we will resolve this one way or another, certainly before the end of this year.’

During the press conference, Witkoff recalled that the objective is to reach a ceasefire that will subsequently allow the conflict to be ended, a measure that would not have been welcomed by the Israeli government. This plan is reminiscent of past talks with Qatar and Egypt as mediators, which Hamas viewed favourably, but Israel did not.

At the same time, the US State Department has confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. He is also scheduled to meet with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with whom he already held a meeting last May in Israel. Other attendees include members of the Conference of Presidents and leaders of the pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). 

Since becoming US President, Trump has made headlines with his ideas for the future of both the Gaza Strip region and the Gazans themselves. Undoubtedly, the most controversial of all was his desire to turn the Palestinian enclave into the Riviera of the Middle East by expelling the more than two million people living in the region to neighbouring countries such as Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.

However, this idea, which was applauded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was rejected by most of the international community and, above all, by the Arab world.

Moments before the meeting in Washington, the human rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement asserting that the US military could face legal consequences for aiding Israel in the commission of war crimes.