Arab countries are scrambling to find an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s plan to turn war-torn Gaza into “the Riviera” of the Middle East and displace the Palestinians living there.
Leaders from Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf States met in Saudi Arabia on Friday to counter a reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip mooted by US President Donald Trump.
Trump has suggested that the United States could “take over” Gaza and permanently displace the more than 2 million residents to nearby Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, a plan that infuriated the Palestinians and neighboring countries.
What happened during the summit?
Friday’s talks were called by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and were attended by Jordan’s King Abdullah, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah and Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
A source close to the Saudi government confirmed the meeting had finished but the hosts did not immediately publish a final statement.
The summit focused on Egypt’s proposal to rebuild the devastated territory under the “complete supervision” of Arab countries, sources told news agencies.
Few details about Egypt’s current plan have been released, but former Egyptian diplomat Mohammed Hegazy said it outlined a three-stage solution that would initially focus on the removal of war debris from Gaza.
The second phase would include an international reconstruction summit for Gaza, while the third would focus on urban planning and rebuilding homes and essential services.
There would also be a “political track to implement the two-state solution,” Hegazy said.
Egypt’s proposal also includes a national committee to govern Gaza and reconstruction via a fund created with money from the Gulf and other foreign countries, the US and financing organizations, two Egyptian sources told Reuters news agency.
Sources familiar with the summit said the Egyptian plan could include up to $20 billion (€19.13 billion) in funding over three years from wealthy Gulf and Arab states.
It remains unclear if the Arab leaders will be able to reach a consensus on an alternative to Trump’s plan ahead of an emergency meeting of the Arab League set for March 4 in Cairo.
Funding commitments are expected to be crucial to any alternative plan but oil-producing Gulf states have said they are weary of paying for reconstruction only for a cycle of violence and destruction to repeat itself.
What future for Gaza?
The Gaza Strip is largely in ruins after more than 15 months of war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The United Nations recently estimated that rebuilding the territory would cost more than $53 billion.
Trump’s plan, which was announced on February 4 during a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, has united Arab states in opposition to it, particularly to any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
Many other questions remain unanswered, including who should control the area and be responsible for security.
Edited by: Sean M. Sinico
DW News
