Smoke rises from Gaza following an explosion on May 16, 2025. (Credit: Ammar Awad.)
Arab countries are meeting Saturday in Baghdad to discuss the war in the Gaza Strip and other regional crises, although the summit is marked by the absence of several leaders, notably from the Gulf, where the U.S. president was visiting this week.
Donald Trump sparked an outcry earlier this year by declaring that the United States would take control of Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera” of the Middle East, prompting Arab leaders to draft a post-war reconstruction plan for the territory devastated by 19 months of war, during a summit in March in Cairo.
The former real estate developer concluded Friday a tour in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, marked by dazzling economic announcements and a spectacular opening towards the new Syrian power with the announcement of the lifting of U.S. sanctions.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi arrived Friday and Saturday in the Iraqi capital. Also participating is Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, but according to a diplomatic source, most leaders from Gulf countries will not attend.
Absence of the Syrian president
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who took power in December 2024 heading a coalition of Islamist groups and was imprisoned for years in Iraq on charges of belonging to al-Qaida, will also not attend the summit after powerful Iraqi politicians opposed his visit. He is represented by his Foreign Minister, Assaad al-Shaibani.
Iraq has been devastated by several decades of conflicts and wars, particularly after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, which toppled Saddam Hussein and paved the way for jihadists. It is only recently that the country has regained a semblance of stability, and its leaders hope to promote a new image of the country. “We are not just rebuilding Iraq, we are also reshaping the Middle East through a balanced foreign policy, wise leadership, development initiatives, and strategic partnerships,” Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani recently wrote in an opinion piece.
The summit is primarily focused on the war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. More than a year of Israeli bombardments has ravaged the Palestinian territory, and the humanitarian situation is dire, especially since March 2, when Israel blocked all entry of aid. As talks for a truce seem stalled, the Israeli army announced Saturday the launch of a new major offensive in Gaza.
“Restoring regional stability”
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein specified that the summit would approve decisions made during the Cairo meeting in March to support Gaza's reconstruction. This Arab plan foresees a fund — $53 billion over five years — for the reconstruction of the Palestinian territory, which should be managed during a transitional period by a committee of Palestinian technocrats before the Palestinian Authority resumes control.
This approach appears as an alternative to Trump’s widely condemned proposal of taking control of the territory. “We are interested in Gaza. And we are going to make sure this is settled. Many people are starving,” he said Friday during his visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Among other figures attending Saturday in Baghdad are United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose country recognized the State of Palestine in May 2024. During Saturday’s summit, Egypt will also present its “vision” on “the challenges facing the region, particularly focusing on recent developments in the Palestinian cause and efforts aimed at restoring regional stability,” according to a statement from the presidency in Cairo.
Iraq last hosted an Arab League summit in 2012. As both a significant ally of neighboring Iran and a strategic partner of the United States, the country has been balancing between the two foes for years.
