Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
The emergency Arab League summit on Tuesday in Cairo adopted Egypt's plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, positioning it as an alternative to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to remove Gaza’s population — a plan widely opposed by Arab states.
"There will be no real peace without the establishment of a Palestinian state," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi declared.
At the start of his speech, Sisi stated, "The region is facing major challenges that threaten security and stability. The war in Gaza has forced the people of Gaza to choose between destruction and displacement. Egypt has been working to halt the fighting from the very first day of the war, together with Qatar."
Addressing Egypt’s reconstruction plan for Gaza, Sisi said, "We have collaborated with our Palestinian brothers to establish a committee of independent Palestinians to manage the Gaza Strip. We are working on training Palestinian security teams that will be responsible for security in Gaza in the next phase. We call for the adoption of our plan, which preserves the Palestinian people's right to rebuild their homeland and remain on their land. We urge support for a fund that we will establish to implement this plan."
Sisi also spoke about "violations in the West Bank" and warned of "the consequences of continued attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the undermining of its status quo." Looking ahead, he reiterated, "There will be no real peace without the establishment of a Palestinian state," adding: "Peace cannot be imposed by force. The peace agreement between Egypt and Israel is a model for transforming a state of war into peace and prosperity." In a pointed remark to the U.S. president, he added; "President Trump has the ability to put an end to tensions and hostilities in our region."
Hamas said in a statement that it "welcomes the convening of the emergency Arab summit in Cairo to discuss the dangers threatening our Palestinian cause in light of the ongoing war. We appreciate the Arab position rejecting attempts to uproot our people or erase the Palestinian issue, and we affirm that the Palestinian Nakba will not be repeated."
The statement said that Hamas "also welcomes the Gaza reconstruction plan, and call for providing the ingredients for its success, while appreciating Egypt's efforts in holding an international reconstruction conference. We support the establishment of a community support committee to monitor the aid and reconstruction."
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit stated: "Today's summit is a significant event in the history of the Palestinian cause and aims to prevent another catastrophe from befalling the Palestinian people. We reject the displacement of the Palestinian people and cannot accept illegal American projects in the region."
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Jordan’s King Abdullah, whose country was mentioned in Trump’s proposal as a possible recipient of Gaza’s displaced residents, declared at the summit: "We support the Egyptian plan. We reject any plan to displace the Palestinians and endorse the initiative for Gaza’s reconstruction." The king added, "We must formulate a clear, implementable vision for Gaza’s administration and its connection to the West Bank. The two-state solution is the only path that guarantees the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. We reject Israel’s decision to block humanitarian aid to Gaza."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also spoke at the summit. "We are facing challenges that threaten the Palestinian cause, particularly the calls to uproot our people in Gaza," he said. "We commend the Egyptian-Arab plan for Gaza’s reconstruction without displacing its population. We call on President Trump to support efforts to rebuild Gaza while ensuring that our people remain there." Abbas also stated that he is "ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections next year, provided that circumstances allow it."
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun addressed his country's new standing amid the ongoing cease-fire. "Lebanon has returned to Arab and international legitimacy. We will not abandon our prisoners (Lebanese citizens captured by Israel during the war), and there will be no peace without the release of the last inch of our land. There will be no peace without Palestinian rights and the liberation of Lebanese territory. Lebanon has suffered greatly, but we have learned from our suffering not to be a pawn in others’ wars," he said.
Also attending the summit are Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not attend the summit, sending Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in his place. UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed also did not attend. Additionally, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Council President Antonio Costa are present at the summit.
Earlier, Saudi news channel Al-Hadath published details from a draft of the summit’s final declaration. According to the report, the summit participants will declare that "there is a need to launch a political process that fulfills the aspirations of the Palestinian people. The priority is to implement the second and third phases of the cease-fire agreement." Al-Hadath reported that the final statement will include support for international coalition efforts, led by Saudi Arabia, to implement the two-state solution, as well as "a commitment to the International Court of Justice’s decisions regarding Israel’s crimes."
Various Arab and Western news agencies released details of Egypt’s reconstruction plan ahead of the summit. Reuters reported Monday that, according to key points in the plan, Hamas will not be part of Gaza’s governance. A special committee overseeing Gaza’s civil administration will be responsible for distributing humanitarian aid and rebuilding the Strip for an indefinite period.
'$53 billion for Gaza’s reconstruction'
According to the same report, the proposal states that "there will be no significant international funding for Gaza’s reconstruction if Hamas remains the dominant political and armed force controlling local governance." Reuters further reported that security control of Gaza would be assumed by an "international stabilization force" composed mainly of Arab states, which would also establish a new local police force. The Egyptian plan also outlines that governmental and security bodies would be organized, supervised and guided by a steering committee comprising key Arab states, members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the U.S., the UK, the EU, and other nations.
Qatar’s Al-Arabi channel reported Tuesday that it obtained a copy of the Egyptian reconstruction plan. According to the report, the Egyptian plan envisions rebuilding Gaza at a cost of $53 billion and establishing a six-month administrative committee to oversee the Strip before the Palestinian Authority resumes control. The Qatari report also noted that the UN Security Council might consider deploying international peacekeeping forces in Gaza. The committee managing Gaza will be composed of independent figures and will operate under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority, with seven designated areas in Gaza set up to provide temporary housing for 1.5 million Palestinians.
4 View gallery
(Photo: Omar al-Qattaa/ AFP, Sean Gallup / Getty Images, AP / Carlos Osorio, Reuters/ Saudi Press Agency)
Al-Hadath also reported that an independent technocratic committee would manage Gaza for six months, with no representatives from Palestinian factions. The report stated that Egypt and Jordan would oversee the training of Palestinian police forces in preparation for their deployment in Gaza. The Qatari channel added that, under the Egyptian proposal, "the issue of armed factions could be addressed through a political process."
According to reports on the Egyptian plan, "a temporary cease-fire will be established, during which confidence-building measures will be implemented, followed by direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians." The Gaza reconstruction plan, as published by Al-Hadath, requires $38 billion, with most funds allocated to rebuilding housing. Temporary housing will be provided in several cities during the reconstruction process, which will take place in two phases — the first lasting two years and the second two and a half years.
Egyptian channel Al-Qahera Al-Ikhbariya reported today that "the Egyptian plan is based on preserving the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people and the two-state solution." The report emphasized that "Gaza is an inseparable part of Palestinian territories, and any attempt to deny the Palestinian people hope for statehood or to seize their land will only lead to more conflicts and instability."
The plan rejects the displacement of Palestinians and condemns the suffering caused by the war. The Egyptian channel also reported that the plan stresses the need for the international community to "address the humanitarian disaster caused by the war" and calls for maintaining the cease-fire in Gaza, urging international support for Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. in brokering a cease-fire agreement.