Arab League leaders are set to gather in Baghdad for a critical summit aimed at addressing the ongoing crises in the region, with a particular focus on the situation in Gaza, which has been at the centre of renewed geopolitical tensions.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas was the first Arab leader to arrive in the Iraqi capital on Friday, ahead of the summit, while other key nations are expected to send top-level delegations. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also attend the summit, alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a vocal critic of Israel's recent military actions in Gaza.
The summit comes in the wake of US President Donald Trump's controversial proposal to relocate 2.2 million people from Gaza and transform the territory into what he described as "the Riviera of the Middle East." The plan, announced earlier this year, has been widely condemned across the Arab world, prompting leaders to push for a collective reconstruction strategy, first discussed at the Cairo Summit in March.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, in a statement on Friday, said the Baghdad summit would reaffirm the commitments made in Cairo to support Gaza's reconstruction as a viable alternative to Trump's widely criticised plan.
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"Today, we are not just rebuilding Iraq; we are also reshaping the Middle East through a balanced foreign policy, wise leadership, development initiatives, and strategic partnerships," Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani wrote in an article ahead of the summit.
Trump, speaking from Qatar on Thursday, reiterated his desire for the US to "take" Gaza and turn it into a "freedom zone," despite the strong backlash from the Arab world.
The summit will also address the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran, which remain high despite recent talks. On Thursday, Trump said a deal with Iran was "getting close," but by Friday, he warned that "something bad is going to happen" if the Iranians do not act swiftly.
Syria, another focal point of the summit, will be represented by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, as interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa opted to skip the meeting following opposition from several influential Iraqi politicians. Al-Sharaa, a former jihadist leader, rose to power after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, marking a significant shift in the region's political landscape.
The Baghdad summit marks the first time the Iraqi capital has hosted the Arab League since 2012, a period marked by domestic strife and the onset of the Syrian conflict, which only recently entered a new phase with the fall of Assad.
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