Egypt says Arab leaders have endorsed a counter-proposal to Trump’s Gaza plan

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said that Arab leaders have endorsed Egypt’s post-war plan for the Gaza Strip that would allow its two million Palestinians to remain in the territory.

Meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, the leaders endorsed a counter-proposal to President Donald Trump’s plan to depopulate the territory and redevelop it as a beach destination.

It was unclear if Israel or the United States would accept the Egyptian plan.

Israel has embraced what it says is an alternative US proposal for the ceasefire itself and the release of hostages taken in Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war.

Israel has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept the new proposal and has warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to fighting.

The suspension of aid drew widespread criticism, with human rights groups saying that it violated Israel’s obligations as an occupying power under international law.

The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages — the militant group’s main bargaining chip — in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.

Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners — a key component of the first phase.

A 112-page draft of Egypt’s 53 billion dollars plan obtained by The Associated Press foresees rebuilding Gaza by 2030 without removing its population.

The first phase calls for starting the removal of unexploded ordnance and clearing the more than 50 million tons of rubble left by Israel’s bombardment and military offensives.

Hundreds of thousands of temporary housing units would be set up where Gaza’s population could live while reconstruction takes place. The rubble would be recycled, with some of it used as infill to create expanded lands on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast.

It also calls for the opening of an airport, a fishing port and a commercial port. The Oslo peace accords in the 1990s called for the opening of an airport and a commercial port in Gaza, but the projects withered as the peace process collapsed.

Under the plan, Hamas would cede power to an interim administration of political independents until a reformed Palestinian Authority can assume control.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Western-backed authority and an opponent of Hamas, was attending the summit.

Israel has ruled out any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and, along with the United States, has demanded Hamas’ disarmament.

Hamas, which does not accept Israel’s existence, has said it is willing to cede power in Gaza to other Palestinians, but will not give up its arms until there is a Palestinian state.

Addressing the summit, Mr el-Sissi said that the plan “preserves the right of Palestinian people in rebuilding their nation and guarantees their existence on their land.”

He said there is a need for a parallel path for peace to achieve a “comprehensive, just and lasting settlement” to the Palestinian cause.

“There will be no true peace without the establishment of the Palestinian state,” Mr el-Sissi said. “It’s time to adopt the launching of a serious and effective political path that leads to a permanent and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause according to the resolutions of international legitimacy.”

An early draft of the statement endorsing the plan called for a “permanent and just solution” for the Palestinian cause, and for the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeepers in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The mention of peacekeepers was dropped from a later draft.

Israel has vowed to maintain open-ended security control over both territories, which it captured in the 1967 Mideast war and which Palestinians want for their future state. Israel’s government and most of its political class are opposed to Palestinian statehood.

Mr Trump shocked the region last month when he suggested Gaza’s roughly two million Palestinians be resettled in other countries.

He said the United States would take ownership of the territory and redevelop it into a Middle Eastern “Riviera.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced the proposal, which was roundly rejected by Palestinians, Arab countries and human rights experts, who said it would likely violate international law.

Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa director at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank, said the summit is “a key pillar in Egypt’s strategy” to counter Mr Trump’s plan for Gaza.

“Egypt is trying to present a credible alternative focused on reconstruction and an indirect consultation mechanism for Hamas that could reassure Israel and the US,” he said. “The idea is also to continue to frame this plan as part of a new push towards the two-state solution.”