Trump Mulling Camp David-Style Summit to Confront Islamic Extremism

TEL AVIV – President Donald Trump is considering a Camp David-style summit in an effort to resolve tensions between U.S. allies in the Arab world. Trump also intends to use the summit to renew his call for the Arab world to confront the “crisis of Islamic extremism,” Fox News reported.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and five other Muslim countries that have cut ties with Qatar would be in attendance, the report said. The tiny Gulf nation has been accused of funding terrorism, including the Islamic State, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and cooperating with Iran in the latter’s quest for regional hegemony.

The White House has looked into holding a summit similar to the one held at Camp David in 1978, which led to the signing of a peace accord between Israel and Egypt the following year.

“It’s a Camp David moment. We’ve seen nothing like this in 40 years, and now the president wants to follow through,” a senior White House official told Fox News.

According to the report, the move may be seen as a warning for other countries in the region to pursue “behavior modification.”

“The president now wants to bring all the key players to Washington,” the official said. “They need to disavow groups like the [Muslim] Brotherhood for the stability of the Middle East at large. It’s not just about Qatari elements funding the Brotherhood but disavowing support for extremism in general.”

Qatar, a U.S. ally, has denied allegations of supporting terrorism.

The senior White House official would not confirm a date for such a summit, but did say it would happen in the near future while the “iron is still hot” following the president’s harsh condemnation of Islamist extremism while in Riyadh last month.

“It’s a choice between two futures and its a choice America cannot make for you. A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists,” Trump told the leaders of 55 Muslim nations in his now famous address.

“Drive them out! Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities. Drive them out of your holy land and drive them out of this earth,” he said.