President Donald Trump’s plan for the United States to “own” Gaza, help orchestrate mass resettlement of nearly 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and build an enterprising “Riviera of the Middle East” on the enclave’s ruins seems to have had its intended effect. Trump is forcing others to come up with alternative plans for post-war Gaza. And the scramble is on in Europe and throughout the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia is leading the Arab states’ urgent efforts to develop a plan and has scheduled a meeting in Riyadh with leaders from Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to work through the issues. As elements of the discussions leak out — none of which yet has anything new or different than past outlines for Gaza — it is becoming clear that the parties are focusing on how best to promote their plan by playing to Trump’s ego and relying on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be their principal intermediary, since he seems to have the best direct relationship with Trump.
Among the primary objectives of the planning is to enable residents to stay in Gaza during any rebuilding process, with a focus on how the rebuilding can be pursued and how it will be funded. In addition, there is a clear recognition that Hamas needs to be removed fully from its position of power and control.
All the Arab state participants in the post-war Gaza planning are concerned about the potentially disastrous destabilization of the region if 2 million Palestinians are resettled among Arab countries. Egypt and Jordan fear being overrun by militants. And Saudi Arabia sees massive resettlement as frustrating its demand for a clear path to Palestinian statehood as a condition to normalizing ties with Israel, which it views as its first big step toward a coveted military pact between Riyadh and Washington as a means of strengthening the kingdom’s defenses against Iran.
According to reports, the leading Arab plan being considered is one offered by Egypt. In its current stage it has very little that distinguishes it from past Gaza plan discussions. It calls for the formation of a national Palestinian committee to govern Gaza without Hamas involvement, international participation in reconstruction without displacing Palestinians from Gaza, international and Gulf area financing for the project (possibly to be called “The Trump Fund for Reconstruction”) and movement toward a two-state solution. The plan includes a buffer zone and the erection of a physical barrier at Gaza’s border with Egypt to prevent tunnels from being built but has not yet addressed the crucial details of Gaza’s governance and internal security.
There is obviously a lot more work to be done on the Arab nation plan. Among other things, it needs a clear explanation of the intended role of the Palestinian Authority, how Gaza will be run and governed, the security arrangements that will be put in place and even more clarity about the removal of Hamas from any involvement in post-war Gaza.
Without those clarifications and necessary assurances there is no chance that Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will even consider the plan, no matter how much whispering MBS does in Trump’s ear. ■
