Arab leaders have adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid resettling Palestinians.
Egypt’s plan includes an initial recovery phase aimed at de-mining the territory and providing temporary housing, followed by a longer reconstruction phase focused on rebuilding essential infrastructure.
The proposal was accepted at the closing of the extraordinary Arab Summit in Cairo, co-chaired by His Majesty King Hamad, the current President of the Arab Summit, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi.
His Majesty called for supporting the plan, “which contributes to strengthening our fraternal ties, protecting our national security, and enhancing our collective ability to face the challenges to our common interests, while preserving our developmental achievements and means of progress and prosperity”.
He empahsised rejection of any attempts at displacement and settlement.
The King said, “We are confident that adherence to the path of lasting and comprehensive peace is the guaranteeing framework for the Palestinian people to attain their legitimate historical rights to self-determination and the establishment of their independent national state, based on the two-state solution, as emphasised by the Arab Peace Initiative and all subsequent historical international resolutions and Arab plans.”
His Majesty thanked President Al Sisi for his efforts in hosting and convening the summit, as well as assuming the responsibility of presiding over it, hoping that the summit’s outcomes would be successful.
His Majesty attended an Iftar banquet hosted by the Egyptian President in honour of the Arab leaders participating in the summit.
The emergency summit of the Arab League’s 22 member states was held to counter US President Donald Trump’s controversial vision for postwar Gaza and present a united front against displacement, giving the international community a credible alternative.
The eight-page resolution said the summit “endorses the plan presented by the Arab Republic of Egypt in full co-ordination with the state of Palestine and Arab nations. It is based on studies carried out by the World Bank and the UN Development Fund concerning the early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza as a comprehensive Arab plan and offers all kinds of financial and material support for its implementation”.
Egypt’s plan estimates rebuilding will take three to five years and, contrary to Trump’s vision, Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians will stay in the coastal enclave while the work is underway, instead of being forced to resettle in Egypt and Jordan.
“The attempt to crush the aspiration of creating a Palestinian state or take away the land of the Palestinians will only result in more conflict and instability,” said the resolution.
President Al Sisi said Egypt had worked in co-operation with Palestinians on creating an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza.
The committee would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the Strip’s affairs for a temporary period, in preparation for the return of the Palestinian Authority (PA), he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the PA, said he welcomed the Egyptian idea and urged Trump to support such a plan that would not involve displacing Palestinian residents.
Abbas also said he was ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections if circumstances allowed, adding his PA was the only legitimate governing and military force in the Palestinian territories.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said international guarantees were needed that the current temporary ceasefire would remain in place, and supported the PA’s role in governing the strip.
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