Arab leaders adopted Egyptian reconstruction plans in Gaza on Tuesday, in contrast to President Donald Trump’s “Middle Eastern Riviera” vision, costing $53 billion and avoiding Palestinians being driven out of the enclave, Khaleej Times reported.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatta El-Sisi said the proposal, which was welcomed in a subsequent statement by Hamas and criticised by Israel, was accepted at a summit in Cairo. Sisi said at the summit that he is confident that Trump will achieve peace in the conflict that destroyed the Gaza Strip.
The main question that needs to be answered about Gaza’s future is who will run the enclave and which countries will provide the billions of dollars needed to rebuild.
Sisi said Egypt has worked with the Palestinians to establish a committee to establish an independent, professional technocrat administrative committee that commissioned governance in Gaza.
He said the committee will be responsible for managing humanitarian oversight and stripping issues over a temporary period in preparation for the return of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Another important issue is the fate of PA rival Hamas.
Commenting on the committee at a press conference after the Arab League Summit, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatti said that the decision has been made for six months to lead the committee to administer the Gaza enclave.
“The future of Gaza will be temporarily administered by nonpartisan committees, and in parallel Palestinian authority will be empowered to operate on the ground and take on security tasks and tasks related to early recovery and reconstruction,” Abdelatty said.
In a statement, Hamas said it welcomed the plan as well as the establishment of the Palestinian Commission. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads the PA, welcomed the Egyptian idea and said he urged Trump to support a plan that would not drive away Palestinian residents.
Abbas has been in power since 2005 and is ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections if the situation is allowed, adding that his addition of his PA is the only legitimate governance and military force on Palestinian territory.