Trump to meet with Palestinian chief, Syrian and Lebanese presidents – report

Arab media outlets report that Trump is slated to meet with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, during an upcoming summit in Saudi Arabia.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump will meet with Arab leaders during his trip to Saudi Arabia this week, including the chairman of the Palestinian Authority and the new president of Syria, several Arab media outlets reported on Sunday.

Trump is set to depart for the Middle East on Monday night, arriving in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and remaining in the oil-rich Islamic kingdom until Thursday, when he will travel to Qatar and then to the United Arab Emirates, leaving the region on Friday.

The U.S. president has no plans to visit Israel or meet with Israeli officials.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia, the president is scheduled to attend a summit featuring delegations from a number of Gulf states, including Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

According to a report by the UK-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi, the summit will also be attended by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Trump will reportedly meet with al-Sharaa, Aoun, and Abbas in Riyadh.

Several other Arab media outlets have made similar claims, though there has been no confirmation by the Trump administration, Damascus, Beirut, or Ramallah.

The claim comes days after Reuters reported that Trump has dropped the condition that Saudi Arabia reach a normalization deal with Israel as a prequisite for a broad security agreement between Riyadh and Washington, which would also include American backing for a Saudi civilian nuclear program.

The unconfirmed report has raised speculation in Israel that the Trump administration’s relationship with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chilled in recent weeks and that the White House is increasingly frustrated with Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and hostage deal talks with Hamas.

One report by a Qatari-linked news outlet claimed that Trump is poised to recognize Palestinian statehood at this week’s summit.

Over the weekend, however, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee spoke with multiple media outlets to deny reports citing Israeli and American officials about the alleged falling-out between Trump and Netanyahu.

“Nonsense,” Huckabee tweeted regarding claims that Trump is planning to announce U.S. support for Palestinian statehood.

Huckabee also called the reported rift between Trump and Netanyahu “fake news.”