‘Free choice’: Arab leaders unveil Gaza plan to rival Trump’s vision
Despite being an alternative to Trump’s proposal, some language from leaders in Cairo on Tuesday suggested it was pitched with the US President in mind.
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt’s President, said he was certain Trump would be able to achieve peace on the question of Gaza.
Elements of Trump’s entourage have suggested over the past month that his incendiary proposal to “clear out” the Palestinians and build a Las Vegas-style international hub was intended to provoke fresh thinking from the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Arab diplomatic sources have briefed in recent weeks that they believe the White House could accept an alternative vision, so long as it was workable and had widespread support in the region.
Such a scenario would be potentially nightmarish for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s Government, which has repeatedly ruled out what appear to be important facets of the current Arab plan.
One is the involvement of the Palestinian Authority, which has been described by senior ministers as “just as bad” as Hamas. Late on Tuesday, the Israeli Government appeared to reject the Arab plan.
Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the statement issued at the summit “fails to address the realities of the situation following October 7, 2023, remaining rooted in outdated perspectives”.
He criticised it for failing to condemn Hamas, as well as for continuing to rely on the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA, the UN body that works in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Both have repeatedly demonstrated corruption, support for terrorism and failure in resolving the issue.”
He added: “Now, with President Trump’s idea, there is an opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will. This should be encouraged.”
The Arab plan reportedly involves the holding of elections in the Palestinian territories, where they have not taken place for 20 years.
The other sticking point could be the status of the terror group itself.
Israel has said that it is not sufficient for Hamas to be absent from a future government and that it will not tolerate the presence of the armed group in Gaza in any form.
Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, suggested on Tuesday that the group might be content to cede power in Gaza for a plan that had the backing of the civilian population.
However, Israel has warned that it will not accept a “Lebanon-style” situation, where a terror group may not formally hold power but in reality dominates by virtue of its armed strength.
Hamas has previously suggested that disarming would be a red line for the organisation.
The UN estimates that approximately 90% of homes in Gaza are destroyed or damaged, with most of the infrastructure also ruined.
According to leaked documents, the new plan is based on studies conducted by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme.
The UN has said that reconstruction would cost $50 billion (£39 billion) and wealthy Arab states would be expected to foot some of this bill.
The plan’s initial stage calls for around 200,000 homes to be built in Gaza over the next two years at an estimated cost of $20b.
However, it is unlikely that any significant financial package will be forthcoming unless the backers are confident that the area will not return to war.
A 91-page glossy brochure, reportedly inspired by Emirati designs, has been circulating in Cairo in a push to gain acceptance for the plan.
However, while not addressing the Trump proposal explicitly, language within the draft document sets a clear alternate position on the issue of the Palestinian population.
“Any malicious attempts to displace Palestinians or annex any part of occupied Palestinian territories would lead to new phases of conflict, undermine stability opportunities, expand conflict into other countries in the region, and pose a clear threat to peace foundations in the Middle East,” it warns.
