Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of Arab efforts to develop a plan for the future of the Gaza Strip, in a bid to counter the ambitions of US President Donald Trump, who aims to create a “Riviera of the Middle East” without the Palestinian inhabitants, according to a Reuters report.
Sketches of the plan will be discussed this month at a meeting in Riyadh by countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The proposals could include a reconstruction fund led by the Gulf states and an agreement to exclude Hamas.
Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies were shocked by Trump’s plan to cleanse the Gaza Strip of Palestinians and resettle most of them in Jordan and Egypt – an idea that was immediately rejected by Cairo and Amman and is seen as deeply destabilizing in most parts of the region.
The Saudi Arabia’s dismay was further heightened because the plan would undermine the kingdom’s demand for a clear path to Palestinian statehood as a condition for normalizing relations with Israel – a possible deal that would also pave the way for a ambitious military pact between Riyadh and Washington to strengthen the kingdom’s defenses against Iran.
The latest Egyptian proposal envisions the establishment of a national Palestinian committee to govern the Gaza Strip without the involvement of Hamas, international participation in the reconstruction, without the Palestinians being resettled abroad and an approach to a two-state solution, as three Egyptian security sources said.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Palestinian representatives will review and discuss the plan in Riyadh before it is presented at an Arab summit scheduled for February 27, according to an Arab government source.
The role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, commonly known as MbS, will play a key role in this endeavor.