US President Donald Trump said in his speech at the Egypt summit on Gaza that world leaders have gathered to celebrate not only the end of the war in Gaza, but also the beginning of a new "beautiful Middle East."
"From this moment forward, we can build a strong, stable, prosperous and united region by rejecting the path of terror once and for all," Trump said.
He said the "final run" towards the deal ending the war in Gaza began on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly late last month, when he met with the leaders of eight Arab and Muslim countries, some of whom "I don't particularly like."
“We listened and exchanged ideas, and we kept pushing forward until the job was done,” Trump said. “The first steps towards peace are always the hardest, and today, we took them together.
"I just came from Israel, it was a wonderful day to see the hostages coming in," he continues. "The Israeli people are happy that the war is over. Many of you have been dancing in the streets."
"I hope that everyone will join the Abraham Accords... Now, a lot of people, even today, are talking about everyone coming together. A lot of people have talked to me about that, and it will be a great tribute to the United States," Trump says.
The countries that have already joined are "wealthy," Trump says, apparently referring to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, which have varying levels of wealth.
"I hope everyone is coming together now. We have no more excuses now. We don't have a Gaza and we don't have an Iran as an excuse," Trump said, apparently referring to the US attack on Iran's nuclear sites, which he claims "completely wiped out" the program.
“The momentum now is toward a great, glorious, and lasting peace,” Trump continued. “Our commitment to fulfilling the 20-point plan we developed together will be the foundation for achieving that bright future” — a reference to his plan that envisions creating a path to a future Palestinian state.
Trump said his 20-point plan for Gaza is being worked out and that some of the leaders present will be appointed to the Peace Board, which is tasked with overseeing the transitional government of Palestinian technocrats that is planned to administer Gaza after the war.
“Everybody wants to be on the peace board. They said to me, ‘Would you be the chairman?’ I said, ‘I’m too busy. But whatever we can do to have peace in the Middle East, it’s worth it,’” Trump joked.
“For the people of Gaza, the focus now must be on restoring the foundations of a good life. We will have a lot of money coming into Gaza and a lot of rebuilding,” Trump continued. “I am pleased to announce that many countries of great wealth, power and dignity have come to me today and over the past week to say they want to help rebuild Gaza.”
"As these commitments are made, I will let the world know who is doing this, because they truly deserve a lot of credit."
"We all agreed that support for Gaza should be done to lift up the people themselves, but we don't want to fund anything that has to do with bloodshed, hatred or terror, as has happened in the past," Trump says.
"We have also agreed that the reconstruction of Gaza requires that it be demilitarized and that a new and honest civilian police force should be allowed to create safe conditions for the people of Gaza."
"This is the first time that the Middle East crisis has brought people together, instead of dividing them," he says.
Trump concluded his remarks and asked the press to leave the room so he could say a few words privately to the leaders.
Apparently, thinking the cameras were off, he thanked everyone again for coming.
"We'll be putting out some names. If you want to be involved in the Peace Board, you'll let us know," Trump said.