By Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump was set to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and possibly Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, although he gave no dates for the talks.
The comments, delivered in an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, came in response to a question about Trump’s recently unveiled proposal to take over and redevelop the Gaza Strip.
Herzog did not say when or where the meetings would take place, nor did he discuss their potential content. He also noted that Trump is due to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah in the coming days, which Jordan’s state news agency has already reported.
“President Trump is due to meet with major, major Arab leaders, first and foremost the king of Jordan and the president of Egypt and I think also the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well,” Herzog said.
“These are partners that must be listened to, they must be discussed with. We have to honor their feels as well and see how we build a plan that is sustainable for the future,” Herzog said.
Saudi Arabia has flatly rejected Trump’s Gaza plan, as have many world leaders. Jordan’s King Abdullah plans to tell Trump during their planned Feb. 11 meeting in Washington that the proposal is a recipe for radicalism that will spread chaos through the Middle East and jeopardize the kingdom’s peace with Israel, Reuters reported earlier this week.
The White House did not immediately respond to comment. It was not immediately possible to contact officials in Cairo and Riyadh.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Ross Colvin and Mark Porter)
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