Gaza Arab plan may include $20bln for reconstruction: Reuters
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Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is expected to visit Riyadh to discuss an Arab plan for Gaza, which could involve up to $20 billion in regional funding for reconstruction.
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A Palestinian man sits in his partially standing home, destroyed by the Israeli occupation in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, on February 17, 2025. (AP)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is likely to visit Riyadh on Thursday, according to two Egyptian security officials, to discuss an Arab plan for Gaza, which might involve up to $20 billion from the region for reconstruction.
Arab powers are set to debate a day-after plan for Gaza in response to US President Donald Trump's suggestion to reconstruct the area under US control while ethnically cleansing Palestinians.
The news comes as the Israeli Security Ministry announced plans to establish a directorate for the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of Gaza under the name of "voluntary emigration from Gaza."
The plan will include "options of departure," i.e. means to expel Palestinians from their land, through land, sea, and air.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar will evaluate and discuss the Arab proposal in Riyadh before presenting it at a scheduled Arab summit in Cairo on March 4, four individuals familiar with the matter told Reuters.
On Friday, a meeting of Arab state leaders, including Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and Qatar, was scheduled in Saudi Arabia, which is driving Arab efforts on Trump's plan, but some sources indicated the date had not yet been finalized.
At a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump stated that the United States "will take over," "own", and transform the Gaza Strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
To make matters worse, he revealed last week that Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza, stating of the territory, "I would own this."
The Arab proposal, which is primarily based on an Egyptian plan, calls for the formation of a national Palestinian committee to manage Gaza without Hamas involvement, as well as international engagement in rehabilitation without the displacement of Palestinians abroad.
According to Emirati researcher Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, a $20 billion commitment from Arab and Gulf governments to the fund, which two sources have identified as a plausible sum, might be an effective motivation for Trump to adopt the concept.
The Palestinian Authority's cabinet stated Tuesday that the first phase of the plan under consideration would cost around $20 billion over three years, while Egyptian sources divulged to Reuters that conversations about the region's financial contribution are still ongoing.
According to insiders, the plan calls for rebuilding to be completed within three years.
Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters in Tel Aviv Monday that his discussions with Arab leaders, particularly King Abdullah, indicate that "they have a really realistic appraisal of what their role should be."
