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For a brief moment just a few weeks ago, it seemed like the joint Israeli-American effort to suppress Palestinian nationalism was succeeding. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had arrogantly dismissed the idea of Palestinian statehood, while US President Donald Trump and his secretary of state appeared to echo that position.

Palestinians holding passports issued under the US-sponsored Oslo Accords were suddenly denied entry to America. Even more absurdly, Washington sought to silence the official Palestinian voice at the UN. President Mahmoud Abbas and members of his delegation, formally invited to attend the UN General Assembly, were denied entry visas, in clear violation of the UN-US headquarters agreement.

This Israeli-inspired move by the Trump administration was clearly intended to derail both international recognition of Palestine and efforts by the Palestinian leadership to engage with world leaders.

Yet, less than a month later, on Monday, the tables had turned. Abbas and his aides were in Sharm El-Sheikh, at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who was hosting none other than Trump himself. Trump even posed for a photo with Abbas and publicly welcomed him, along with other attendees.

Whether Netanyahu was not invited or if he chose to avoid the gathering, his absence was striking and symbolic

Daoud Kuttab

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, President Abbas held a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders. Among those he met were Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi.

In sharp contrast, not a single Israeli official was present. Whether Netanyahu was not invited or if he chose to avoid the gathering due to the war crimes charges he faces, his absence was striking and symbolic.

For world powers that have already recognized the state of Palestine, the Sharm El-Sheikh summit was more than a diplomatic event. It was a reminder that recognition must translate into a genuine political partnership — one that advances the goal of lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.

The meeting’s timing was also significant. It came as the war in Gaza reached its official conclusion, with regional and international actors beginning the difficult process of establishing a multinational (including Arab and Islamic) force to stabilize Gaza.

One of the most delicate questions ahead concerns the future of armed groups in Gaza. The leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad have reportedly expressed willingness to hand over their offensive weapons to a joint Palestinian-Egyptian committee but insist on keeping their defensive arms. Their reasoning is rooted in painful history: after the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut 43 years ago, few Palestinians are willing to trust that they can remain defenseless, for now at least.

The presence of Abbas and his aides, alongside major world powers, marked a boost for secular Palestinian nationalism

Daoud Kuttab

The presence of Abbas and his top aides in Sharm El-Sheikh, alongside major world powers, marked a boost for secular Palestinian nationalism — a movement that many feared was waning amid years of division and regional upheaval.

Abbas has pledged to hold parliamentary and presidential elections within a year of the ceasefire, signaling a potential political reset. In a symbolic move, he recently welcomed Nasser Al-Qidwa, the former Palestinian foreign minister, back to the Fatah movement after years of estrangement.

Al-Qidwa — a Gaza native and relative of the late President Yasser Arafat, as well as co-author (with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert) of a joint peace proposal — is expected to play a key role in Gaza’s postwar administration. Whether in an official capacity or as an adviser helping to vet candidates for a new technocratic leadership, his return adds credibility to Abbas’ efforts to restore unity and governance. However, far more unity is needed if Palestinians are to regain their confidence and support in the current leadership.

It may be premature to declare the full resurgence of Palestinian nationalism. Still, Sharm El-Sheikh offered a powerful image: the president of Palestine and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization standing among global leaders as a guest of both Trump and El-Sisi — while Israel stood absent and isolated.

This moment is unlikely to go unnoticed in Tel Aviv or Washington. After Sharm El-Sheikh, it seems far less likely that any Palestinian leader will again be barred from attending the UN or engaging with the international community.

If anything, the summit underscored a truth that decades of occupation and diplomacy have failed to erase: Palestinian nationalism is not only alive, it is regaining its place on the global stage.

• Daoud Kuttab is an award-winning Palestinian journalist and former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. He is the author of “State of Palestine Now: Practical and Logical Arguments for the Best Way to Bring Peace to the Middle East.” X: @daoudkuttab