However, according to Reuters, citing sources, the Arab states have not yet developed an alternative plan for Gaza. In particular, critical issues such as how the estimated cost of rebuilding Gaza, estimated at more than $50 billion, will be covered, or who will administer the territory, remain unclear.
Today, the Gulf states, Egypt, and Jordan will meet in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Saudi Arabian officials said the meeting was “an informal discussion in the framework of close fraternal relations.” However, sources told Reuters that the main agenda of the meeting was joint measures to counter Trump’s plan to “cleanse” Gaza of Palestinians and relocate most of them to Jordan and Egypt.
The Egyptian proposal calls for a $20 billion fund to rebuild Gaza over three years. No clear commitment has yet been made to this fund, which is expected to be largely contributed by wealthy Gulf and Arab states.
“The details are not clear and there is confusion among stakeholders about what the plan entails,” an official involved in the Gaza negotiations told Reuters. A source close to Saudi Arabia’s royal palace also told Reuters that no proposals had been finalized ahead of the talks.
It remains unclear whether Arab leaders will be able to agree on an alternative to Trump’s plan ahead of an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on March 4.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday called on the international community to develop a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinians.
Palestinians and many countries in the region are concerned that Trump’s proposal will destabilize the region and lead to a repeat of the Nakba (Great Catastrophe) that occurred during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.
In 1948, some 800,000 Palestinians were forced to flee or displaced from their homes and villages. Many settled in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Today, millions of Palestinians are still living as refugees.
Palestinians often complain of discrimination in some Arab countries and of being abandoned by Arab states. However, the Arab states claim that they are doing their best to advance the Palestinian cause.
This poses a particular risk for Egypt and Jordan. Sisi is concerned that if large numbers of Palestinians come to his country, they will include members of Hamas, which he sees as a security threat.
Jordan, which has a large Palestinian population, fears that the plan will destabilize the Middle East by fueling radicalism, jeopardizing the peace treaty with Israel, and even putting the country’s very existence at risk.
The plan is also reminiscent of the idea of “Jordan as an alternative Palestinian state” with mass immigration from both the West Bank and Gaza, which has long been voiced by Israel’s right-wing.
On the other hand, countries such as Egypt and Jordan are dependent on US financial and military support, and the Gulf states are also dependent on Washington for security. It is therefore not easy for them to take a hard line against Trump.
According to an official involved in the Palestinian negotiations, key actors such as Jordan or the United Nations were not included in the formulation of the proposal that Sisi is expected to present, and there is still no clarity on how Gaza will be governed.
Sensitive issues such as the future role of Hamas are not expected to be discussed in public statements. A more comprehensive political and economic framework is planned to be presented at the Arab League summit in Cairo in March.
The Egyptian proposal envisages the creation of a national committee to govern Gaza and to carry out the reconstruction process with funding from Gulf states, other foreign governments, the United States, and financial institutions. According to two Egyptian officials familiar with the matter, these proposals are only ideas at this stage and require coordination and funding commitments from Arab countries for implementation.
Funding commitments are critical for any alternative to be acceptable to Trump. However, the oil-producing Gulf states are cautious about financing the reconstruction of Gaza.
On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority’s proposal for the administration of Gaza is expected to be presented on Friday. According to this proposal, a new deputy prime minister would be appointed as governor of Gaza, reporting directly to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
However, Cairo proposes a different plan. According to this plan, a committee of neutral technocrats would manage Gaza’s border crossings, public services, and the reconstruction process.
However, Hamas reacted to the Arab League Deputy Secretary-General’s remarks that Hamas should completely withdraw from the administration for the benefit of the Palestinian people. Hamas said it had shown flexibility in several meetings regarding the political and administrative management of Gaza.
Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi analyst specializing in Palestinian-Gulf relations, said: “It is time for Arab countries to come up with a concrete plan, and this issue has become even more important after Trump’s proposal.”