Sharm el-Sheikh summit held amid rumours and denials from Prabowo to Netanyahu
Israel’s prime minister pulls out from the signing of the agreement, ostensibly because of a Jewish holiday, but the most likely reason is the presence of Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli media announced a historic visit by Indonesian President Prabowo to Israel tomorrow, which Indonesia’s foreign ministry quickly denied. Modi snubs the summit, sending his Minister of State for External Affairs.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – Some 20 heads of state and government were expected to attend the much anticipated Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt, for the signing of the peace plan for the Middle East.
The event was held amid a whirlwind of announcements and denials, rumours and official statements seeking to clarify matters regarding a meeting pushed by US President Donald Trump, the architect of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas, that goes beyond the niceties of diplomacy and still has more phases ahead.
But not everyone was there, starting with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, who decided not to go at the last moment. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi too skipped the meeting, choosing to send a junior minister, Kirti Vardhan Singh, who is Minister of State for External Affairs, a political message that was anything but symbolic.
This morning, the Times of Israel had reported that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would visit to Israel tomorrow, the first ever by the head of state of the world's most populous Muslim nation. The story began circulating this morning, while other governments were focusing on Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Today’s signing ceremony of the Middle East peace plan at the tourist resort on the Red Sea saw the presence of 20 world leaders, including Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, France's Emmanuel Macron, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Pakistani Prime Minister Sheikh Baz Sharif.
Despite a last-minute invitation from Egypt, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu was a no-show, ostensibly due to the timing's proximity to the Jewish observance of Sukkot. But the real reason was likely the presence of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whom Netanyahu has not met in years and whom he wants to exclude from any role in post-war Gaza.
Other leaders, like Turkish President Recep Erdoğan reportedly said that they would take part in the summit if Netanyahu was present.
No Iranian official was present. Since the 12-day war with Israel (and the United States) last June, Iran has been increasingly marginalised in regional and international affairs.
An official statement issued by the Indonesian foreign ministry also denied the story that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto planned to visit Israel, a story that made the headlines for a few hours.
Indonesia currently has no relations with Israel, but has been considerable active in recent weeks in seeking a solution to the crisis in Gaza, offering to send at least 20,000 peacekeepers to help stabilise the Palestinian territory.
Some sources, speaking anonymously, had suggested that the Southeast Asian country would join the US-brokered Abraham Accords, already signed by some important major Muslim-majority countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono explained that Prabowo would return home right after the meeting in Egypt. For her part, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang denied the story, stressing that a visit by the president to Israel is not under consideration.
The Sharm el-Sheikh summit also highlighted New Delhi's frosty attitude towards Trump's Middle East peace plan, as India was the only country present at the signing to be represented by a lower-ranking official.
This choice reflects tensions and trade disputes with the US, combined with Prime Minister Modi's behind-the-scenes policy of rapprochement with Israel, which ended decades of support for the Palestinian cause.
The most obvious factor that may have influenced India's decision, however, was the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, and the desire to prevent Modi from sharing the spotlight with his Pakistani counterpart.
The other factor may have been the risk that Trump, who is co-chairing the summit, would use it to reiterate his claim to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
The Indian prime minister welcomed the 20-point peace plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas, but he likely wants to keep the two issues separate to avoid giving Trump another opportunity to take credit for easing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, which are far from subsiding, as evinced by the recent escalation in Afghanistan.
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