During a meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders, U.S. president Donald Trump outlined a plan to end the Gaza conflict, his representative reported on Wednesday, September 24.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff—who has led months of mediation efforts—said Trump outlined a “21-point plan for peace in the Mideast and Gaza” during Tuesday’s meeting with leaders from Arab and Muslim nations.
Witkoff told a summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly
We’re hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough.
He noted that the plan “addresses Israeli concerns as well as the concerns of all the neighbours in the region,” without giving further specifics.
According to a joint statement, the leaders had “reiterated their commitment to cooperate with President Trump, and stressed the importance of his leadership to end the war.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised that the recent recognition of the State of Palestine by countries such as Australia, Canada, Britain, and France “does not obligate Israel in any way.”
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also criticised European leaders who recognised a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly, arguing their priorities were misplaced. She stressed that
the main political pressure should be directed towards Hamas [not Israel]. It is Hamas that started this war and it is Hamas that is preventing this war from ending by refusing to release the hostages.
Meloni was backed by Israeli PM Netanyahu, who added “The shameful capitulation of some leaders to Palestinian terror does not obligate Israel in any way. There will be no Palestinian state.”
