Arab leaders are meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss countering US President Donald Trump’s plan for United States control of the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip and the expulsion of its people, diplomatic and government sources have said.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has invited the leaders of Gulf Arab countries, Egypt and Jordan for the meeting in the capital, Riyadh, on Friday, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.
The meeting will be unofficial and held within “the framework of the close brotherly relations that bring together the leaders”, SPA added.
Trump’s plan has united Arab states in opposition, but disagreements remain over who should govern the enclave and how to fund its reconstruction.
Umer Karim, an expert on Saudi foreign policy, called the summit the “most consequential” in decades for the wider Arab world and the Palestinian issue.
Trump triggered global outrage when he proposed that the US would “take over the Gaza Strip” and that its 2.4 million people be relocated to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.
“As for joint Arab action and the decisions issued regarding it, it will be on the agenda of the upcoming emergency Arab summit that will be held in the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt,” SPA said, referring to plans for an emergency summit on March 4 to discuss Israel and Palestine.
Meeting Trump in Washington on February 11, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Egypt would present a plan for a way forward.
A Saudi security source said the talks would discuss “a version of the Egyptian plan” the king mentioned.
A new political track?
Rebuilding Gaza will be a key issue, after Trump cited reconstruction needs as justification for relocating its population.
Cairo has yet to announce its initiative, but Egyptian former diplomat Mohamed Hegazy outlined a plan “in three technical phases over a period of three to five years”.
The first, lasting six months, would focus on “early recovery”, said Hegazy, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, a think tank with strong ties to decision-making circles in Cairo.
“Heavy machinery will be brought in to remove debris, while designated safe zones will be identified within Gaza to temporarily relocate residents,” Hegazy said.
The second phase would require an international conference to provide details of reconstruction and would focus on rebuilding utility infrastructure, he said.
“The final phase will oversee the urban planning of Gaza, the construction of housing units, and the provision of educational and healthcare services.”
The United Nations estimated on Tuesday that rebuilding would cost more than $53bn, including more than $20bn in the first three years.
The last phase, said Hegazy, would include “launching a political track to implement the two-state solution and so that there is … an incentive for a sustainable truce”.
