Arab leaders meeting in Cairo, Egypt at the Arab League Summit endorsed a plan for Gaza that excludes Hamas and creates what Reuters describes, in an X post, as “interim bodies run by Arab, Muslim and Western states.” It is an alternative to President Trump’s idea of developing Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” a seaside destination that the U.S. would own.
[Trump said controversially in February that Gaza residents will be moved elsewhere and that the U.S. is “going to have Gaza. We don’t have to buy. There’s nothing to buy. We will have Gaza.”]
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi‘s vision does not include the displacement of the Palestinians and instead calls for a cooperative effort among the world’s nations to pursue peace in the region as Gaza is reconstructed for its residents.
Coming out of the summit, El-Sisi wrote: “I appreciate the consensus among the Arab countries to support the reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip, which allows the Palestinian People to stay on their land without displacement. We welcome any proposals or ideas from the international community to ensure the success of this plan, which needs to be implemented side by side with a greater plan for peace. I look forward to working with our Arab brothers, President Trump and the international community to adopt a plan that aims for a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian Issue.”
في هذا اليوم الهام من تاريخ القضية الفلسطينية، أشكر القادة العرب المشاركين في القمة العربية غير العادية بالقاهرة، وأثمن الإجماع العربي على دعم خطة اعادة إعمار قطاع غزة والتي تتيح للشعب الفلسطيني البقاء على أرضه دون تهجير، ونرحب بأي مقترحات أو أفكار من المجتمع الدولي لضمان نجاح…
— Abdelfattah Elsisi (@AlsisiOfficial) March 4, 2025
According to Reuters World News reporter Andrew Mills, who has had a look at a draft of the Egyptian plan which is being presented at the Arab League Summit, Egypt and Jordan and some Gulf States have been meeting for the last month and “throwing around ideas for what would be an alternative to President Trump’s so-called Gaza Riviera Plan, which would see the potential displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.”
Arab leaders are meeting to discuss a plan for Gaza that would sideline Hamas and create interim bodies run by Arab, Muslim and Western states. It’s in contrast to Trump’s idea of a ‘Middle East Riviera.’ More on the Reuters World News podcast https://t.co/1chuJ3t5Lj pic.twitter.com/9aqFUImNnN — Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2025
Trump’s plan described a “cleaning out” of Gaza that included sending Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan.
The Trump proposal, sketched without detail by the POTUS during an interview, was widely rejected by Gaza neighbors — Egypt and Jordan included — who asserted such a plan would destabilize the region. Humanitarian and legal experts also said forcing deportation or transfer of a civilian population is a violation of international humanitarian law. Trump reacted by threatening to cut off U.S. aid to Egypt and Jordan if they don’t take in Gazans.
After looking at Egypt’s new plan for Gaza, Mills said “What really stands out about the plan is the questions that it doesn’t answer” including “Who’s going to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza; How will Hamas be forced aside in Gaza? And are other Arab countries going to support Cairo in its plan?” Trump’s plan notably leaves the same questions unanswered at present. According to the New York Times, it’s estimated that the reconstruction of Gaza will cost $53 billion.