Arab leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia on Friday to formulate a recovery plan for Gaza, aimed at countering U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to assume control of the enclave and displace its residents.
Trump’s plan has unified Arab states in opposition, yet divisions persist regarding who should govern the Gaza Strip and how to finance its reconstruction after 16 months of war.
Umer Karim, an expert on Saudi foreign policy, described the summit as the “most consequential” in decades for both the broader Arab world and the Palestinian issue.
A source close to the Saudi government told AFP that Arab leaders were set to discuss “a reconstruction plan to counter Trump’s plan for Gaza.”
Gaza has been left largely in ruins following the war between Israel and Hamas, which began after the October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel.
In that attack, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. The United Nations has recently estimated the cost of rebuilding the Strip at over $53 billion.
During a meeting with Trump in Washington on February 11, Jordan’s King Abdullah II stated that Egypt would propose a plan for a way forward.
The Saudi source indicated that discussions would center on “a version of the Egyptian plan.”
According to the official Saudi Press Agency, Egypt and Jordan were confirmed as participants in the Riyadh summit, alongside the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council—Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump With King Abdullah (Photo: AP)
The report noted that decisions from this “unofficial fraternal meeting” would be included in the agenda for an emergency Arab League summit scheduled for March 4 in Egypt.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, as confirmed by his office. A Saudi source previously informed AFP that the Palestinian Authority would also be involved in the discussions.
Three-Phase Plan
Rebuilding Gaza has become a focal point, particularly after Trump cited reconstruction as justification for permanently relocating the Strip’s population to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
Although Cairo has yet to officially announce its initiative, former Egyptian diplomat Mohamed Hegazy outlined a reconstruction plan consisting of “three technical phases over a period of three to five years.”
The first phase, lasting six months, would focus on “early recovery,” including debris removal.
The second phase would necessitate an international conference to outline reconstruction efforts, primarily targeting utility infrastructure.
The final phase, according to Hegazy, would involve urban planning, housing reconstruction, service restoration, and the establishment of a “political track to implement the two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
An Arab diplomat with knowledge of Gulf affairs told AFP, “The biggest challenge facing the Egyptian plan is how to finance it.”
The proposal also aims to resolve the complex issue of post-war governance in Gaza by introducing “a Palestinian administration that is not aligned with any faction,” Hegazy stated. He added that the administration would include “experts” and be “politically and legally subordinate to the Palestinian Authority.”
Hegazy further noted, “Hamas will retreat from the political scene in the coming period.”
Since 2007, Hamas has controlled Gaza following a civil war in which the group ousted the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, led by its secular rival, Fatah.
Israel has categorically rejected any plan that grants the Palestinian Authority a role in managing the Gaza Strip.
