Egypt's alternative Gaza plan to exclude Hamas yet to get Saudi and PA nod
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An alternative plan to Donald Trump's proposal to turn the Gaza Strip into a US-owned 'Riviera of the Middle East,' being prepared by Egypt in collaboration with the World Bank, is said to exclude Hamas entirely from governance and reconstruction of Gaza, with control handed to an interim community support committee that would exclude all Hamas members.
Arab states, primarily the UAE and Qatar, are preparing financial offers for Gaza's reconstruction, provided Palestinians are allowed to remain in Gaza and are not forced to seek refuge in Egypt or Jordan, The Guardian reported.
It is expected to take between three to five years to rebuild, with approximately 65% of the property in Gaza destroyed. While European sources acknowledge that security guarantees for Israel are still unresolved, no Arab country is willing to deploy troops without Israel offering a clear path to a Palestinian state.
An Arab summit in Riyadh on 27 February will discuss alternatives to Trump's Gaza plan, and parts of the Egyptian proposal are expected to be revealed. Saudi Arabia has not yet openly called for Hamas to be excluded, but Anwar Gargash, a senior UAE diplomat, supported a recent call by Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Arab League’s secretary general, for Hamas to step down from governing Gaza.
Aboul Gheit emphasised the importance of prioritising the Palestinian people's interests, particularly given the ongoing destruction caused by Hamas’s actions in Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has not endorsed the committee plan, fearing it could lead to a permanent divide between the West Bank and Gaza. Fatah, which dominates the PA, views the committee idea as an attempt to solidify division, rejecting any notion of separating Gaza from the West Bank.
Despite the reservations of several Arab diplomats about the practicality and morality of Trump’s plan, they acknowledge the necessity of engaging with it while seeking ways to steer public opinion away from it.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has not ruled out an alternative plan to Trump's proposal, but he stressed that any plan allowing Hamas to remain in Gaza would face opposition from Israel, thereby stalling any progress.