Middle East
Arab leaders fail to agree on Gaza’s future ahead of key Cairo summit

Arab leaders, who oppose Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and expel Palestinians, failed to reach a consensus on the management and reconstruction of Gaza at a meeting in Riyadh on Friday. The final decision on this issue is expected to be taken at the Arab summit to be held in Cairo on 4 March.
Limited information was shared with the public about the summit led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In the only image released to the press from the summit, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Prince Sheikh Al Sabah of Kuwait, and Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa took part.
According to the Saudi Arabian news agency, the content of the talks was kept secret. The reason for this is not to influence the course of the Arab summit to be held in Cairo on 4 March. Final decisions are expected to be taken at this summit.
Arab diplomats attending the summit told Haaretz that the leaders took a common position against Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and agreed to present an alternative for the reconstruction of Gaza based on the Egyptian plan.
The Egyptian plan is based on the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza without expelling Palestinians from their land. However, the crucial question of how Gaza would be governed without Hamas or the Palestinian Authority remained unanswered at the summit.
It remains to be seen whether the Arab summit in Cairo on 4 March will approve a framework for handing over the administration of Gaza to Arab and possibly international actors.
A Palestinian source in contact with senior officials in Arab countries, not directly connected to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, told Haaretz that the main problem is to find a solution acceptable to Israel.
“A Hamas-controlled Gaza is a red line for Israel and some Arab countries,” the source said, adding that Arab countries are also demanding a comprehensive reform of the Palestinian Authority up to the highest levels. However, the source said that the Arab countries cannot take a decision that would further undermine the PA’s already weakened position in the West Bank.
The Arab countries are also taking into account Hamas’ possible objection to being left out of plans for the future of Gaza. Hamas demands a broad Palestinian consensus on any decisions. Moreover, Hamas has made it clear that it would consider any foreign force stationed in Gaza as an occupier and would resist it.
As a result, while the Riyadh summit failed to reach a final decision on the governance of Gaza, the Arab summit in Cairo is expected to be a critical turning point on this issue. However, Israel’s stance, Hamas’ demands, and the weak position of the Palestinian Authority stand out as the biggest obstacles to the process.