Arab Leaders Scramble to Counter Trumps Gaza Plans
The leaders of Gulf Arab states are expected to strategize with their Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts on Friday in an effort to counter President Trump’s controversial proposal to redevelop Gaza under U.S.control and displace its Palestinian residents.The meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, is in preparation for a broader Arab League summit in Egypt on March 4.Mr.
Trump’s suggestion last month that the United States might take control of Gaza, develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” and relocate its Palestinian residents to neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan was met with astonishment and outrage across the Arab world.His aides then reframed it as a challenge to leaders of the Middle East to come up with a better alternative.“All these countries say how much they care about the Palestinians,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week.
“If the Arab countries have a better plan, then that’s great.”Now, Arab governments are in rushed consultations to do just that.Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been working together to forge an alternative idea for Gaza in which Arab countries would help fund and oversee reconstruction, while keeping the two million Palestinian residents in place and preserving the possibility of a Palestinian state, according to diplomats and officials briefed on the efforts.There have been a number of audacious plans floated for the day after in Gaza, but none have really gained traction.The latest one came from Emirati real estate magnate, Khalaf al-Habtoor, who offered an ambitious blueprint aimed at rebuilding the enclave within a “matter of years, not decades.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
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