Arab leaders were gathering in Cairo Tuesday to discuss an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s widely condemned plan to assume control of war-battered Gaza and displace its Palestinian population.

Hours before the summit opened, Israel demanded Gaza’s “full demilitarisation”, which Hamas promptly rejected, calling disarmament a “red line”.

The Arab League summit on reconstruction follows renewed backing of Trump’s plan from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who labelled it “visionary and innovative”.

Palestinians, Arab states and many US and Israeli partners have rejected Trump’s proposal, opposing any efforts to expel Gazans.

The United Nations estimates Gaza’s reconstruction will cost more than $53 billion, after a devastating war triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Arab foreign ministers met Monday in Cairo for a closed-door meeting to prepare a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its people, an Arab League source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The plan “would be presented to Arab leaders at Tuesday’s summit for approval”, the source said.

Several Arab heads of state are expected, along with foreign ministers or other high-level representatives.

Among those attending was Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, state media said.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Bahrain’s King Hamad are expected to deliver opening remarks, according to a scheduled shared by the Arab League.

Trump triggered global outrage when he first floated his idea for the United States to “take over” the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, while forcing its Palestinian residents to relocate to Egypt and Jordan.

Trump has since appeared to soften his stance, saying he was “not forcing” the plan, which experts have said could violate international law.


https://guardian.ng/news/world/asia/arab-leaders-gather-to-hash-out-alternative-to-trumps-gaza-plan/