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Cairo Peace Summit Ends without a Joint Statement, Unveiling Differences on Gaza War

Leaders in a family photo at the Cairo Peace Summit (Egyptian Presidency)
Leaders in a family photo at the Cairo Peace Summit (Egyptian Presidency)
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Cairo Peace Summit Ends without a Joint Statement, Unveiling Differences on Gaza War

Leaders in a family photo at the Cairo Peace Summit (Egyptian Presidency)
Leaders in a family photo at the Cairo Peace Summit (Egyptian Presidency)

The Cairo Peace Summit was overshadowed by forced displacement and warnings against the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, amid fears that it could lead to a regional war.

Speeches at the summit revealed disparities in positions toward the war on Gaza, and the meeting ended with leaders and officials not agreeing on a joint statement.

The Arab leaders focused on rejecting the displacement of the Palestinians and urging for an immediate cessation of the war, while the European officials called for opening a safe corridor to ensure aid delivery.

The Egyptian Presidency stated that it would spare no effort in continuing to work with all partners to achieve the goals that called for holding this summit, regardless of the difficulties or the duration of the conflict.

Egypt will always maintain its firm position in support of Palestinian rights, believing in peace as a strategic and irreversible option until the vision of a two-state solution, Palestinians and Israelis, living side by side, is realized.

By calling for this summit, the Egyptian Presidency sought to build an international consensus that transcends cultures, races, religions, and political stances, prioritizing the flow of humanitarian and relief aid and delivering it to the proper beneficiaries from the people of the Gaza Strip.

Egypt looked forward to the participants to launch a global call for peace.

"The international scene over the past decades has revealed a serious deficiency in finding a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue because it sought to manage the conflict and not end it permanently."

The statement noted: "While we see one place rushing and competing to condemn the killing of innocent people promptly, we find incomprehensible hesitation in denouncing the same act in another place. We even see attempts to justify this killing, as if the life of the Palestinian human being is less important than that of other people."

Leaders, heads of government, and envoys from regional and international countries participated in the summit, seeking to advance efforts to contain the crisis in the Gaza Strip.

During his speech at the opening session, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on the summit participants to agree on a roadmap to end the current humanitarian tragedy and revive the path of peace.

Sisi explained that the roadmap begins with ensuring the full, safe, unfettered, and sustainable flow of humanitarian aid and relief to the people of Gaza, followed instantaneously by negotiations on achieving calm and a ceasefire.

Then, he indicated that it should be followed by talks on reviving the peace process, which shall start to put into effect the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian State based on the resolutions of international legitimacy.

Sisi renewed his country's condemnation of "in the clearest terms, the targeting, killing, and intimidation of peaceful civilians."

He expressed at the same time Cairo's "deep shock that the world is standing by idly while the catastrophic humanitarian crisis unfolds. Two and a half million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are being punished collectively."

Since the beginning of the Israeli attack on Gaza, Tel Aviv has tightened the siege on the Strip, cutting off its water, electricity, and fuel supplies.

On Saturday, the first aid convoy crossed the Rafah border to Gaza, including 20 trucks loaded with medicines and food supplies. The crossing was closed again, and other trucks awaited permission to enter.

- Rejecting displacement

The Egyptian President reaffirmed his country's "vehement rejection of the forced displacement of the Palestinians and their transfer to Egyptian lands in Sinai," saying it would mark the last gasp in the "liquidation of the Palestinian cause, and shatter the dream of an independent Palestinian state."

He asserted that the Palestinian people do not want to leave their land, even under occupation or bombardment.

"I want to state it clearly and unequivocally to the world and articulate in sincere terms the will of all the Egyptian people, every single Egyptian: that the liquidation of the Palestinian cause without a just solution is beyond the realm of possibility, and in all cases it will never happen at the expense of Egypt, absolutely not," stressed Sisi.

Since the war on Gaza, former Israeli officials and Western politicians have circulated a proposal to displace Gazans to Sinai, which Cairo has repeatedly rejected.

Jordan's King Abdullah said in his opening speech that it is a "war crime" to force Palestinians to leave or internally displace them.

The monarch asserted that Jordan would work to stop this humanitarian disaster, pushing the entire region into the abyss.

The Israeli leadership must realize that there is no military solution to its security concerns, said the King, adding that it cannot continue to sideline the five million Palestinians living under its occupation with their legitimate rights denied.

He asserted: "Palestinians' lives are no less valuable than Israeli lives."

For his part, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa affirmed in his speech that there would be no stability in the Middle East without securing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

He reiterated his country's categorical rejection of displacing the people of Gaza from their land and the land of their ancestors.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan affirmed the Kingdom's rejection of attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians. He denounced all forms of targeting of civilians, calling on the international community to force Israel to respect international laws.

The Kuwaiti Crown Prince, Sheikh Meshaal Ahmad Al-Sabah, rejected the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, warning of dangerous repercussions for the region and the world.

In his speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for Israel to stop "its barbaric aggression" in Gaza and warned against attempts to push Palestinians out of the coastal territory.

"We will not leave, we will not leave, we will not leave, and we will remain in our land," he told the summit.

Abbas called on the UN Security Council to fulfill its responsibility to protect the Palestinian people and warned against any expulsions of Palestinians or their displacement from Jerusalem or the West Bank.

In Beirut, a group of Arab and Lebanese figures addressed a message to the Cairo Peace Summit, asking it to take a unified position rejecting the Israeli aggression and ensuring Tel Aviv's commitment and implementation of the relevant international resolutions.

They also called the summit to ensure the immediate provision of food and medical aid to Gaza, ending Israel's inhumane siege, and establishing an Arab and international fund to reconstruct Gaza and the destroyed areas.

More than 50 Arab and Lebanese personalities signed the letter, including former Lebanese Presidents Michel Sleiman and Amin Gemayel, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and former Progressive Socialist Party Chief Walid Jumblatt.

The prominent Arab signatories included Iyad Allawi, Taher al-Masry, Ali Abu al-Ragheb, al-Akhdar al-Ibrahimi, Amr Moussa, Nabil Fahmy, Mohammad al-Saqr, and Ali Nasser Mohamad.

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Arab World

Syria, Lebanon Test Ties Amid Regional Escalation

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the Arab Summit in Egypt, March 4, 2025 (AP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the Arab Summit in Egypt, March 4, 2025 (AP)
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Syria, Lebanon Test Ties Amid Regional Escalation

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the Arab Summit in Egypt, March 4, 2025 (AP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the Arab Summit in Egypt, March 4, 2025 (AP)

Before a March 10 phone call between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to discuss regional developments and their impact on the security and stability of both countries and the wider region, it appeared the two leaders had not been in direct contact since each assumed the presidency a little over a year ago.

In the days before speaking with Aoun, al-Sharaa contacted several Lebanese political figures. On March 6, he spoke with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt. On March 8, he called Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel.

During those calls, al-Sharaa expressed “solidarity with the Lebanese people in these difficult circumstances Lebanon is going through.”

He said the reinforcement of the Syrian military presence along the Syrian-Lebanese border on March 3 was intended solely to strengthen border control and safeguard Syria’s internal security. He described the steps as similar to measures taken along the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The contacts came against the backdrop of war in the region and broader regional developments, and included discussions on the future of Syrian-Lebanese relations. Al-Sharaa stressed the importance of continued coordination between the two countries.

According to the Kataeb Party’s official website, the call between al-Sharaa and Gemayel took place in a positive atmosphere and included discussion of opening a new chapter in bilateral relations.

Al-Sharaa said ties between Syria and Lebanon should rest on “mutual respect between the two states,” alongside stronger economic cooperation and integration that serves the interests of both peoples.

However, the two days following the March 8 call triggered speculation that relations between the two countries were strained because of current and past issues.

Al-Sharaa moved to dispel that speculation with a direct call to Aoun. The following day, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken with both leaders and welcomed the dialogue, saying “the coordination launched by the Lebanese and Syrian leaderships is important” and that France would continue to support it.

Overall, the contacts have raised cautious optimism about neighborly relations at a sensitive moment.

Asharq Al-Awsat asked Syrian analysts how they see relations between the two countries evolving in the near term amid ongoing regional developments.

Foundations of the relationship

Bassam Barabandi, a Syrian analyst and former diplomat based in Washington, said Damascus approaches relations with Lebanon on several foundations.

First is non-interference in Lebanon’s internal politics. Second is border security, particularly preventing Hezbollah from operating inside Syria or transferring weapons through Syrian territory, as well as halting drug smuggling through Syria, which requires direct cooperation with Lebanon.

Third is the issue of Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, which he said is under discussion.

Barabandi said contacts between the two sides, including the call between al-Sharaa and Aoun, produced understandings on several issues, notably mutual non-interference in internal affairs and handling files related to Syrian fugitives in Lebanon and Syrian refugees.

He noted that Lebanon’s political system requires engagement with multiple actors, since the president is only one part of a broader governing structure. Communicating Syrian assurances or positions, therefore, requires outreach to different political leaders.

In that context, al-Sharaa contacted Gemayel to thank him for efforts aimed at accelerating solutions for Syrians detained in Lebanon, and in recognition of his political weight among Christians.

The Syrian president also contacted Jumblatt, Lebanon’s top Druze leader.

Further contacts with other figures could follow if needed, Barabandi said.

He added that the Syrian government supports steps taken by the Lebanese government regarding Hezbollah, particularly efforts related to disarming the group.

Expanding dialogue

Jumaa Mohammed Laheeb, director of research and studies at the Syrian Future Movement, said the current dynamic between Damascus and Beirut reflects a dual reality: relatively advanced security and political coordination alongside political uncertainty.

That uncertainty is most evident in sensitive files, particularly those related to detainees, he said. In that context, al-Sharaa’s call with Salam can be understood.

Laheeb said the call and Syria’s expression of support for Lebanon amid the regional escalation focused on two main issues: border control and reassuring the Lebanese government that Syrian military deployments aim to strengthen control within Syrian territory rather than stoke tensions in Lebanon.

Such communication reflects effective operational channels between the two governments, particularly after understandings reached in recent years on smuggling and border crossings. But those channels alone cannot resolve politically and historically sensitive files such as detainees and the missing, he said.

Laheeb said the Lebanese presidency sits at the center of complex domestic balances involving Hezbollah’s influence, as well as Christian, Sunni and Druze segments.

Al-Sharaa’s initial reluctance to call Aoun directly — while opening communication with figures such as Jumblatt and Gemayel — reflects a Syrian effort to broaden the range of Lebanese actors it engages with.

Damascus appears to be seeking greater regional legitimacy by opening dialogue with forces opposed to Hezbollah’s dominance, he said. But key decisions on issues such as detainees, refugees and border security still pass through domestic circles in which Hezbollah retains considerable influence.

The detainee file, he said, remains a bargaining chip rather than a purely humanitarian priority, leading to delays and partial solutions rather than a comprehensive settlement.

Testing relations with Damascus

Syrian researcher Ahmad Abazid said Damascus does not want to become involved in the current war or intervene militarily against Hezbollah. However, he said the Syrian government has, from the outset, made support for the Lebanese state a cornerstone of its relationship with Lebanon, alongside what he described as genuine hostility toward Hezbollah.

For that reason, he said, it is natural for Damascus to support Aoun’s initiative to disarm the group.

At the same time, Abazid argued Hezbollah would be the weaker side in any confrontation with the new Syrian army. The history of relations between the group and Syrian opposition would likely push many fighters to confront Hezbollah if such a battle emerged, he said.

He also pointed to rising tensions. Hezbollah said Syrian territory had been used as the launch point for a second Israeli operation in the Lebanese town of Nabi Sheet in the Bekaa Valley. Shortly afterward, the Syrian army said Hezbollah had fired artillery shells at the Sarghaya region in western Syria.

Abazid said the escalation could reflect two possible dynamics. One is an Iranian attempt to spread instability across the region during the current war to increase pressure on all sides, particularly Arab states.

The other is that Hezbollah feels threatened by the Syrian side, especially as Lebanese actors have refrained from launching military initiatives against the group and after remarks by US envoy Tom Barrack suggesting possible Syrian intervention in Lebanon.

Arab World

Iraq PM Vows to Prevent Attacks After French Soldier Killed

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends an event in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 9, 2024. (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends an event in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 9, 2024. (Reuters)
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Iraq PM Vows to Prevent Attacks After French Soldier Killed

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends an event in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 9, 2024. (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends an event in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 9, 2024. (Reuters)

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani vowed on Friday to prevent attacks after the killing of a French soldier in an attack in the autonomous Kurdistan region.

Sudani expressed his "solidarity" with France in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He said that "the necessary measures will be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents", and an investigation will be conducted into the attack.

The president of Iraq's Kurdistan region Nechirvan Barzani, in a call with Macron, also expressed his condolences and called for the Iraqi government to "set limits on outlaw groups".

Arab World

Report: Lebanon’s Offer for Direct Talks with Israel Falls on Deaf Ears

A fireball erupts from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Abbasiyeh on March 13, 2026. (AFP)
A fireball erupts from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Abbasiyeh on March 13, 2026. (AFP)
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Report: Lebanon’s Offer for Direct Talks with Israel Falls on Deaf Ears

A fireball erupts from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Abbasiyeh on March 13, 2026. (AFP)
A fireball erupts from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Abbasiyeh on March 13, 2026. (AFP)

Israel has rebuffed a historic offer of direct talks from Lebanon, deeming it too little too late from a government that shares its goal of disarming Hezbollah but cannot act against the heavily armed Lebanese group without risking a civil war.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed the state's willingness to begin direct negotiations with Israel this week, seeking to secure an end to the conflict that erupted on March 2 when Hezbollah entered the regional war in support of its patron Iran.

Two sources familiar with Aoun's position said he has begun appointing a negotiating delegation and in some private meetings, he went as far as to say he was ready to move toward normalizing ties.

"Everything is on the table," a third source familiar with his position told Reuters, when asked about normalization.

The Lebanese state's stance reflects unprecedented levels of domestic opposition to Hezbollah's status as an armed group: the government last week banned the group from military activities.

But with Hezbollah still wielding a powerful arsenal and backed by a significant portion of Lebanon's Shiite community, carrying out the order ‌is easier said than ‌done for a fragile Lebanese state now facing one of its most precarious moments since the 1975-90 ‌civil ⁠war.

On Friday, Aoun ⁠told United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that he had not received a response to his offer, according to a statement from the presidency.

LEBANON SEEN AS LACKING CREDIBILITY

Just a few years ago, such an offer from a Lebanese president would have been a major diplomatic overture - and a chance for the United States to claim success in ending nearly 80 years of hostilities between the two countries.

But Aoun's proposal generated little interest from either Israeli or US officials, according to the two sources, a Lebanese official and two foreign officials.

The sources all said Lebanon's inability to rein in Hezbollah over the last year and prevent the group's March 2 attack left Beirut with little credibility and nothing tangible to offer at a negotiating table.

Israel's Foreign ⁠Minister Gideon Saar told the Times of Israel this week that his country was ready for ‌dialogue with the Lebanese government to normalize ties.

"But the current problem is that dialogue with ‌the Lebanese government cannot stop the fire from Lebanese territory," he said.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told the UN Security Council this week ‌that Israel could not negotiate with Lebanon "while rockets are flying into our northern border."

"The time has come to decide: will Lebanon stick ‌to declarations or actually act?" he said.

Lebanon's presidency, Israel's foreign ministry and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A State Department spokesperson said the US government regularly communicates with its Lebanese counterparts and does not comment on private diplomatic communications.

US SEES WINDOW AS CLOSED, OFFICIAL SAYS

Over the last year, Lebanese authorities have been treading carefully to confiscate the group's weapons in the country's south.

The moves would have previously been unimaginable, ‌when Hezbollah was at the zenith of its power and exercised immense sway over Lebanon's multi-sectarian political system.

The measures have had mixed results.

Hezbollah was still able to spend months re-arming, even stationing new ⁠rockets in southern Lebanon as the ⁠Lebanese army said it had secured full operational control of the area.

After the new war started, Lebanese authorities detained around 50 people for carrying arms without a license in southern Lebanon and near Beirut, Lebanese security sources told Reuters, saying the detained men were suspected of being Hezbollah members.

But several were swiftly released after paying a small fine, the sources said.

When Lebanon tried to reach out to US officials this week to make the offer on negotiations, they were rebuffed, a Lebanese official said.

"They said that 2025 was our window to confront Hezbollah and we didn't, so there's nothing they can do now," the official said.

Three people familiar with US policymaking on the Middle East told Reuters that Washington also had little bandwidth to deal with Lebanon given its current war on Iran and was allowing Israel to deal with Lebanon as it saw fit.

WAR WITH ISRAEL, OR WAR AT HOME

Israel still wants to see Lebanese troops dismantle Hezbollah's rocket and drone launch sites and seize the group's weapons, Danon told the Security Council.

The army has avoided directly confronting Hezbollah, worried about inflaming tensions with the Shiite community and fracturing the army, which split during Lebanon's 15-year civil war.

"That is the problem: Lebanon cannot deliver. And I understand that. This is a multi-sectarian society and Lebanon cannot afford to declare war on a community," the Carnegie Middle East Center's Michael Young told Reuters.