After President Trump shocked the Arab world last month, suggesting that the entire population of Gaza is expelled from the territory, his helpers reformed the idea as an invitation to leaders of the Middle East: they exclude a better plan or do it .
“All these countries say how much they worry about the Palestinians,” said the secretary of state Marco Rubio last week. “If the Arab countries have a better plan, then it’s fantastic,” added Rubio.
Now, the governments of several Arab states are trying to do exactly this. Representatives of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are quietly coordinating to form an alternative Vision for Gaza in Which Arab Countries would Help Fund and Oversee The Recondstruction of Gaza, While Keeping Its Residents in Place and preservative the possibility of A state Palestinian, according to diplomats and officials informed on the effort.
The envoys of all five countries will enrich the details of Friday in Saudi Arabia, and then again in a larger summit on March 4 at Cairo. During those meetings, Egypt will probably propose the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee and community leader, all not affiliated with Hamas, who could manage Gaza after the war, according to two Arab diplomats, a high western official and senator Chris Van Hollen , Maryland Democrat, Maryland Democrat. Van Hollen said he spoke in the last week with the Egyptian, Saudis and Giordani foreign ministers on the proposal in evolution.
“Most of the attention will be to demonstrate to Trump and others who,” yes, there is a practical plan to be reconstructed, we will invest the resources there, “said Van Hollen.
“Their point of view is that Trump is a real estate boy, he spoke of Gaza’s redevelopment, they want to put together a practicable plan that shows Trump that you can reconstruct Gaza and provide a future for two million Palestinians” without forcing them to leave the territory , Van Hollen added.
While ideas could be presented as a new alternative, they are not just new. For months, Egypt has promoted the idea of a technocratic committee and hosted Palestinian leaders in Cairo to discuss the idea. For decades, Arab leaders have asked for the establishment of a Palestinian state that includes Gaza. The Israeli government has also reported privately for more than a year that is open to Arab leaders who play a role of supervision in the post -war Gaza.
The challenge is that the obstacles to these ideas are as old as the ideas themselves.
Israeli leaders oppose the post -war plans that would open the way for Palestinian sovereignty. But the Arab leaders will support only a picture that at least appoints to appoint a path to the Palestinian state.
They also want the blessing of the Palestinian Authority, the internationally recognized organ that administered Gaza until Hamas has torn the control of the territory almost two decades ago. But the President of the Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, seemed wary of a post -war governance structure that does not unequivocally give him full control of the territory – a position that conflicts it with a technocratic committee. Hamas officials said they would be willing to sell control over civil affairs to this organ. But they refused to dissolve their military wing, an unacceptable position for both Israel and Mr. Trump, who seek Hamas’ complete disarmament.
“The biggest challenge that Arab leaders face is to present a realistic plan that can be imposed on Palestinian factions, as well as being acceptable both for the United States and for Israel,” said Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon center, a research Politics, a political research group in Ramallah, the West Bank. “It will be a very complicated process.”
Among the uncertainties there is that Arab leaders would entrust Gaza to guarantee Hamas to attack Israel. Israeli officials also want that the Israeli military have long -term operational freedom, but this agreement would be difficult for the support of Arabic leadership.
Some hope that Egypt and the Gulf countries provide their troops. Last month, Egypt allowed a private Egyptian security company to help staff within Gaza, an agreement that some diplomats and analysts considered a prototype for a wider operation. But it is not clear whether Arab leaders would be ready to send a wider force to guarantee a wider territory. And it is unlikely that Hamas accepts that intervention.
“Anyone who wants to take the place of Israel will be treated just like Israel,” said Osama Hamdan, a high Hamas official, during a conference in Qatar last weekend.
The most solid element of the Egyptian plan focuses on the reconstruction of Gaza while maintaining the Palestinians inside the Enclave instead of forcing them to go out in Egypt and Jordan, as Trump suggested.
President Abdel Fattoh El-Sisi of Egypt has outlined the proposal of large shots in the meetings on Sunday with Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress and Hussein hereditary prince of Jordan. El-Sisi discussed Prince Giordano “the need to start the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip immediately, without moving the Palestinians from their land”, according to a declaration of the Egyptian presidency.
But the details of the plan remain unclear.
Samir Farag, a retired Egyptian military general, said in an interview that Egypt would have invited a series of companies, both national and international, to reconstruct Gaza in the next three or five years. A first phase of growing humanitarian aid in Gaza and to eliminate the rubble would be followed by the construction of hospitals, schools and other infrastructures, said Farag, which is close to Egyptian officials.
The question of those who pay remains unanswered.
Egypt will ask other Arab countries to contribute with reconstruction funds in an imminent conference, said Farag.
But the times of these leaders have also been confused. Egypt originally invited Arab leaders to a “emergency” summit on February 27th.
So it was delayed a week.
Rania Khaled relationships contributed by Cairo e Ismael a From Riyadh.