Arab leaders have endorsed a reconstruction plan for Gaza that would see Palestinians remaining in the enclave, opposing Donald Trump’s controversial “Middle East Riviera” plan.
“Gaza 2030” was put forward by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and approved at an emergency summit of the Arab League in Cairo on Tuesday, with the group’s secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit announcing: “The Egypt plan is now an Arab plan.”
Underlying the contrast with Trump’s proposal to move Palestinians to other countries, Aboul Gheit added that the “Arab stance” was against displacing people, “whether it is voluntary or forced”. Within hours, the White House had rejected the Arab plan, saying it “does not address the reality” of life in Gaza.
What is the Arab plan?
While delegates were given a “91-page glossy document” featuring images of “leafy neighbourhoods and grand public buildings”, this plan is about more than rebuilding Gaza, said the BBC: “its banners are politics and the rights of Palestinians”.
This involves not only keeping Palestinians in Gaza, but also creating a committee that would rule the territory temporarily ahead of the return of the Palestinian Authority. The proposal “glosses over” what role Hamas would play – “if any”, added the BBC.
The five-year plan would begin with clearing roads, followed by the creation of 200,000 temporary housing units and the restoration of damaged buildings. Later stages of the scheme envision building at least 400,000 permanent homes and the reopening of Gaza’s seaport and international airport.
Proposals also include Egypt and Jordan training Palestinian security forces, as well as the deployment of international peacekeepers.
It is estimated the plan will cost $53 billion, to be partly funded by a variety of international sources, including the UN, as well as foreign and private sector investments, reported Al Jazeera.
Who is backing it?
European Council President António Costa, who was in Cairo, said the EU was “fully committed” to the reconstruction of Gaza and was “ready to provide concrete support” to the plan. That was backed up by António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, who said he “strongly” endorsed the “Arab-led initiative” and that the UN would “fully cooperate”.
El-Sisi said the plan had won the “consensus” of the Arab League, which comprises 22 nations from North Africa, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. However, the extent of the region’s support “remains uncertain”, said CNN. The leaders of both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two of the group’s wealthiest and most powerful nations, were absent and sent representatives instead.
What do Palestinians think of it?
“Notably”, Hamas has given its backing to the plan, after previously rejecting the idea of having outside forces in Gaza, said Middle East Eye. Nevertheless, it is “less clear” whether it will accept the return of the Palestinian Authority, said Al Jazeera, and is “adamantly” against laying down its own arms, something the plan does not address.
Support came, too, from Palestinian Authority President Abbas, who claimed he was ready to hold elections in Gaza within a year “provided that the appropriate conditions are met”, said France24. The Authority is internationally recognised as the only legitimate government of the State of Palestine, although since its displacement from Gaza in 2007 by Hamas forces its power extends only to the West Bank.
How likely is it to succeed?
Implementing the plan will be “immensely challenging”, said The Washington Post. Some of the wealthy Gulf states being expected to “pick up the tab” for the reconstruction are wary that the money could end up going to Hamas, or being “misused” by the Palestinian Authority. In addition, said the BBC, investors will want to know the buildings they help finance are safe from another war, with the current “fragile ceasefire” only adding to their concerns.
Nor does the plan have the backing of two of the situation’s major players: the US and Israel. They both say the proposals fail to address the realities of the situation in Gaza and that they stand by Trump’s vision. Arab states had not given the plan a “fair chance”, said the Israeli foreign ministry, arguing this was a chance for the people of Gaza “to have free choice based on their free will” and “should be encouraged”.