Arab nations presented Cairo’s Arab League-endorsed Gaza reconstruction plan to the United States’ Middle East special envoy, spurring hopes that Washington may now treat it as the basis for rebuilding the Palestinian enclave, against an earlier widely opposed proposal from the White House.
Speculation that the Egyptian-led plan could gain ground is also being fanned by reports suggesting that US President Donald Trump may be backpedalling on his controversial proposal to depopulate Gaza and then rebuild through US auspices.
On March 12, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestine Liberation Organization met with visiting US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in Doha, Qatar’s capital city.
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According to joint communique published by Qatar’s foreign ministry the same day, the Arab foreign ministers agreed with the US envoy to “continue consultations and coordination on this plan as a basis for the reconstruction efforts in the sector”.
The Gaza reconstruction plan, which had been approved by the Arab League during a summit in Cairo on March 4, is estimated to cost $53 billion. The plan appeared to have been a counter-response to Trump who suggested redeveloping Gaza through a US takeover and relocation of the enclave’s residents to countries like Egypt and Jordan.
The Arab foreign ministers, at the March 12 meeting with Witkoff, also emphasized the establishment of a cease-fire in Gaza, stressing the need for genuine efforts to achieve a “just and comprehensive peace” based on the two-state solution, and ensuring the fulfilment of the Palestinian people’s aspirations for freedom and independence.
“The Arab ministers reiterated their commitment to maintaining dialogue to reinforce the cease-fire and to work jointly to establish security, stability and peace in the region through intensified diplomatic efforts and coordination with various regional and international parties,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, in a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin at the White House on March 12, Trump said “nobody was expelling any Palestinians” from Gaza.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem welcomed Trump’s new position on the matter.
“If US President Trump’s statements represent a retreat from any idea of displacing the people of the Gaza Strip, they are welcomed,” Qassem was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera, adding that they call for this position to be reinforced by obligating the Israeli side to implement all the terms of the ceasefire agreements.
In a statement posted on the X account of Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Tamim Khallaf on March 13, Egypt “expresses its appreciation for the statements” made by Trump regarding the non-displacement of the residents of the Gaza Strip.
“Egypt affirms that this position reflect an understanding of the importance of avoiding further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Strip and the necessity of working toward finding just and sustainable solutions to the Palestinian cause,” the statement said.
“Egypt views President Trump’s initiative to end international conflicts and achieve peace, including the Middle East, as a practical framework that can be built upon and jointly pursued to achieve these goals taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, foremost among them their right to establish an independent state along the border of June 4, 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital,” it added.
Earlier, Israeli media reported that the US was pushing for a 60-day cease-fire in exchange for the release of 10 hostages. If unsuccessful, Washington could only work to free the US hostages, the Times of Israel reported.
Israeli hostage negotiators would remain in Doha to continue the talks and if unsuccessful, the US could work to free only the US hostages. But the report also cited an Israeli official as pushing back on the reports on the US ceasefire proposal, saying that the negotiating team “has not received at all any proposal for the return of 10 hostages in exchange for 60 days of ceasefire.”
Farhan Mujahid Chak, a visiting faculty at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, told China Daily that the Arab reconstruction plan for Gaza has “the unique signature of all the Arab States” and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
“There is complete unity behind this reconstruction plan so it becomes difficult for the US to dismiss it so readily. In essence, this plan presents a serious problem for the extremists in the Israeli government that only want to depopulate Gaza, annex the West Bank and to forcibly ethnically cleanse the entire region,” said Chak.
The Arab plan is “presenting serious problems for the end game of the extremist Israeli government,” he said, adding that it appears that the Trump administration may be rethinking its radical proposal in relation to Gaza, as it seeks “to appease some of the other partners in the region”.
Chak also noted that the rift between the Israeli government and President Trump “seems to be widening”. He said Trump has clear-cut ideas on his own legacies on US power now and in the future.
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“And he feels it’s his mandate to end extravagant expenditure on never-ending wars and to bring peace. I believe this is part of President Trump’s self-perception on how he wants his legacy to be remembered, in complete opposite of ‘Genocide Joe’,” said Chak, in reference to Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.
Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com
