Arab leaders at an emergency summit in the Egyptian capital Cairo have approved a 53-billion-dollar Gaza reconstruction plan that will rival US President Donald Trump’s “takeover” of Gaza and the displacement of more than two million Palestinians, on Tuesday, the 4th of March, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
Egypt has drawn up a detailed 91-page plan, including images of green districts and grand public buildings, to counter the US plan, dubbed the “Middle East Riviera”, which has shocked the Arab world and other regions of the world.
“The Egyptian plan is now the Arab plan,” declared Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League, at the end of the hours-long meeting.
Without specifically mentioning President Trump’s ideas, he stressed that “the Arab position is to reject any displacement, whether voluntary or forced”.
This plan is different in that it is not only aimed at property development, but at politics and Palestinian rights.
In his opening speech, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi also called for a parallel plan to the physical reconstruction of Gaza to move towards a so-called two-state solution – a Palestinian state alongside Israel. This is seen by the Arab countries and many others as the only sustainable solution to this eternal conflict but is firmly rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies.
The new plan proposes that the Gaza Strip will be temporarily administered by a “Gaza Administration Committee” under the Palestinian government, composed of technocrats. It does not specify the role of Hamas, but states that militant groups would cease to be a problem if the root causes of the conflict were addressed.
The plan provides for UN peacekeepers to provide security and a major international conference next month to raise funds for the reconstruction of Gaza. The wealthy Gulf states could help, but they are hesitant because they fear another war will destroy their investments. The fragile ceasefire adds to the fears.
Reconstruction would take place in three phases, starting with a six-month “early recovery phase” to clear the rubble and unexploded munitions. Subsequent phases would take several years. In the meantime, 1.5 million displaced Palestinians would be housed in temporary container structures, which the plan presents as improved homes.
The UN reports that 90% of homes in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. All the essential elements needed for living, from schools and hospitals to sewage systems and electricity lines, have been destroyed.
The US President sparked outrage by posting an AI-generated video of his vision of what his “Gaza Riviera” would look like.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan was reportedly drawn up with the help of experts ranging from World Bank sustainability experts to Dubai developers, drawing on the experience of previously devastated cities such as Hiroshima and Berlin, as well as drawing inspiration from Egypt’s own experience in designing its ‘New Cairo’ project.