In an attempt to counter President Trump's call to “clean up” Gaza, Arab leaders have begun laying out their own vision for the Palestinians in the territory.
Arab countries responded Tuesday to President Trump's proposal to expel Palestinians from Gaza and turn it into a beach resort by putting forward their own vision, endorsing a plan to keep the population there, rebuild the territory and make it part of a future Palestinian state without Hamas in government.
The contours of the counter-proposal emerged at an emergency summit in Cairo, where Arab countries endorsed Egypt's plan to spend $53 billion to rebuild Gaza but not to relocate Palestinians from the enclave, as Mr Trump has proposed.
Middle East leaders have come under intense pressure to come up with a workable plan for rebuilding, securing and governing Gaza at a time when the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is under threat and Israel, backed by Mr Trump, is increasingly gaining the upper hand in negotiations.
The Arab plan “paves the way for a new security and political context in Gaza,” Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit told a news conference. He stressed the importance of completing the ceasefire in Gaza.
However, Israel's Foreign Ministry quickly dismissed the Arab proposal on social media, calling its ideas “outdated” and saying it failed to recognize the threat Hamas poses to Israel and the region. Hamas, for its part, said the Arab leaders' reconstruction plan and support for keeping Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were “welcome.”
The Trump administration did not immediately respond.
Even as Arab leaders stood united against Mr Trump's idea, at least one made sure to praise the American president for supporting a cease-fire – the kind of intervention Arab leaders would happily tolerate.
