NEW YORK; US President Donald Trump convened a multilateral meeting with leaders of several Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The gathering brought together heads of state and government from Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.
The talks primarily focused on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where over 65,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed amid Israel’s military operations.
The meeting lasted nearly 50 minutes. Calling it an “honour” to meet the Muslim leaders, President Trump commended their collective stance, saying, “You all have done an excellent job, which is commendable.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later described the discussions as “extremely productive,” though other Muslim leaders refrained from public comment.
According to US media, Trump also outlined Washington’s plans for a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a post-war governance structure that excludes Hamas.
Reports suggest the US is pressing Arab and Muslim nations to consider deploying peacekeeping troops in Gaza to facilitate Israel’s withdrawal, as well as to help finance reconstruction and transitional governance programs.
Alongside the broader talks, PM Shehbaz Sharif held separate informal discussions with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
The Gaza crisis has dominated this year’s UNGA debates, overshadowing even Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. In his 55-minute speech to the assembly, President Trump criticised the UN as “ineffective” and described migration and renewable energy as the greatest threats to the “free world.” While calling for the war on Gaza to stop “immediately,” he stressed the need for a “sustainable solution.”
Erdogan was more forceful in his remarks, declaring that those who remain silent in the face of Gaza’s destruction are “accomplices to barbarity.”
World leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah, Qatar’s Emir, and French President Emmanuel Macron, also addressed the assembly.
On Monday, France and Saudi Arabia co-hosted a separate gathering of dozens of countries to build support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Meanwhile, a growing number of European states, including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and Andorra, have formally recognised Palestinian statehood, further isolating Israel diplomatically.
