A high-stakes diplomatic confrontation forced US President Donald Trump to backtrack on a last-minute decision to include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a multinational Gaza summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
The purpose of the summit, jointly chaired by President Trump and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, was explicitly aimed at “ending the war in the Gaza Strip, enhancing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and ushering in a new era of regional security and stability,” according to the Egyptian presidency.
The Turkish Ultimatum
The plan to include Netanyahu was dropped following a stark warning from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. According to reports, Erdoğan reportedly contacted Sisi from his plane and stated that if the invitation to Netanyahu remained, he would refuse to land in Sharm el-Sheikh and would boycott the event.
Trump had secured Netanyahu’s presence late on Monday morning, October 13, following a phone call with Sisi from Israel, as reported by The Guardian. However, this late invitation set off the power struggle that ultimately led to its withdrawal.
Netanyahu’s Official Statement and Domestic Pressure
It remains unclear whether Netanyahu himself canceled his travel plans due to Erdoğan’s ultimatum. However, a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office offered a different explanation for his absence:
“Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited by US President Trump to participate in a conference taking place today in Egypt. The prime minister thanked President Trump for his invitation but stated that he would not be able to attend due to the proximity of the event to the start of the holiday.”
Beyond the diplomatic pressure, Netanyahu was also facing a serious threat from within his own government. Hardline figures on the extreme right of his coalition had publicly stated they would resign if he chose to attend the peace summit. This domestic political crisis was further complicated by the fact that international criminal court arrest warrants have been issued against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The summit proceeded without the Israeli leader. Twenty world leaders were in attendance, including the heads of Qatar, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Norway, alongside representatives from the United Nations and the European Council. Notably, neither official Israeli representatives nor representatives from Hamas attended the high-level talks.