Rebuilding Gaza

Arab leaders have come up with their own reconstruction plan for Gaza – an alternative to US President Donald Trump's 'Middle East Riviera' vision which features clearing the devastated enclave of the Palestinians and handing its control to Washington in the name of rebuilding. While the Trump administration officials insist that Palestinian displacement would be "temporary" and that no American troops would be involved in Gaza, Trump has himself contradicted this, stating that Palestinians would not return to Gaza from their place of relocation because "they're going to have much better housing... a permanent place for them."

The Trump plan fits well into Netanyahu's expansionist designs and the concept of Greater Israel, necessitating the Arab world to come up with a substitute. And while the Arab summit in Cairo, on Tuesday, adopted a $53 billion Gaza reconstruction plan proposed by Egypt, two major questions remain answered: one, with Hamas not acceptable to the US and some Arab countries, who will govern Gaza; and two, which countries will provide the billions of dollars needed for reconstruction. Well, on the issue of governance, the idea is to set up an administrative committee of independent, professional Palest¬inian technocrats to take up the task of Gaza governance. The committee, as agreed at the Arab summit, "would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the Strip's affairs for a temporary period, in preparation for the return of the Palestinian Authority". As for reconstruction funds, oil-rich Gulf states will obviously have to take the major burden.

That the Arabs have spoken with one voice on Gaza reconstruction is a welcome first step. The next would be how the Arab bloc handles pressure from Washington.