Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision not to attend a high-stakes international peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, scheduled for Monday, has raised speculation and drawn sharp media attention, particularly in Israel, where questions abound about the political and diplomatic implications of his absence.
The summit, hosted by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, is expected to bring together leaders and senior representatives from more than 20 countries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also confirmed to attend, according to Turkish media reports.
The conference, billed as a potential turning point in efforts to de-escalate the ongoing war in Gaza and lay groundwork for broader regional peace, will begin at 4:30 p.m. Cairo time. President Trump is expected to arrive earlier in the afternoon, with his plane scheduled to land at Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport around 1:45 p.m.
Yet, in a striking diplomatic absence, Netanyahu will not be among the attendees. According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, his non-participation has sparked widespread debate in Israeli political circles. The reasons behind the decision remain officially unconfirmed, but several theories have emerged.
One prevailing narrative is that Netanyahu’s absence may have been preemptive, reflecting a desire to avoid potential political discomfort or diplomatic pressure. Sources quoted in Israeli media suggest the prime minister was wary of attending a forum where the two-state solution, a proposal he has repeatedly opposed was likely to dominate the agenda.
The same sources indicated that Netanyahu did not want to risk being cornered into discussions or concessions that could conflict with his long-standing political position, particularly under mounting domestic and international pressure over Israel’s conduct in Gaza and his government’s right-wing policies.
Moreover, Israeli media note that Netanyahu’s presence at a summit hosted by an Arab nation, particularly one with high symbolic and political significance in the Arab world, would be controversial. Yedioth Ahronoth pointed out that public sentiment across much of the Arab world remains strongly opposed to visible Israeli participation in regional events, especially amid an ongoing war in Gaza that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.
“It’s not just a matter of diplomacy, but optics,” one analyst noted. “Netanyahu showing up at an Arab summit would be inflammatory, and possibly counterproductive, both for the summit’s objectives and for Israel’s regional relationships.”
The summit itself is being described by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a “potentially historic event,” offering a rare opportunity to stabilize Gaza, reduce tensions, and possibly accelerate regional normalization efforts. However, the absence of key actors most notably Israel, Hamas, and Iran casts a shadow over the prospects of concrete outcomes.
While Egypt has played a pivotal role in previous ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Palestinian factions, this summit appears aimed at building broader international consensus on a long-term peace framework. Analysts believe that if the summit succeeds in producing a unified roadmap for post-war Gaza reconstruction and governance, it could significantly elevate Egypt’s diplomatic standing and reshape the regional power dynamic.
Still, significant obstacles remain. The lack of representation from Hamas the de facto governing authority in Gaza and Iran, a major backer of militant groups across the region, means that any agreements reached in Sharm El-Sheikh would face immediate challenges in terms of implementation and enforcement.
Netanyahu’s absence only adds to the complexity, reinforcing concerns that a lasting resolution to the Gaza conflict may remain elusive without direct Israeli involvement in talks about the region’s future.
As leaders converge on the Egyptian resort city, hopes are high but so are the stakes. Whether this summit marks a real turning point will depend not only on what is said in Sharm El-Sheikh, but on what follows in the weeks and months to come.
