Damascus, Feb 24, (V7N) – Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has received an invitation to attend an Arab League summit on Gaza, hosted by Egypt on March 4, the Syrian presidency announced.

The meeting, called in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for Gaza, aims to address regional concerns over the plan. Trump has suggested that the U.S. should take control of the war-ravaged territory and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” with its Palestinian population relocated to Egypt and Jordan.

The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from Arab nations and world leaders, with the United Nations warning of “ethnic cleansing.” Sharaa has strongly condemned the plan, calling it “a very huge crime that cannot happen.”

Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 due to former president Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests, which led to a prolonged and devastating civil war. However, Damascus was reinstated into the bloc in 2023.

Sharaa rose to power after his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led a rapid military campaign that ousted Assad late last year. He has since served as Syria’s interim leader.

Egypt, which supported Assad until his fall, has maintained a cautious approach in engaging with Sharaa’s government. The upcoming Cairo summit will mark his first participation in an Arab League meeting as Syria’s official representative.