Arab leaders and their regional body the Arab League may have finally done something right. They have rallied to endorse Egypt and its President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s post-war plan for the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip. The plan will allow the population of around two million Palestinians to remain in the territory. The recent development comes as a counterproposal to US President Donald Trump’s plan to depopulate the coastal strip and develop it as a beach resort destination. Trump’s plan has been a slap in the face for Palestinian statehood. According to AP, the $ 53 billion plan’s endorsement by Arab leaders at a summit in Cairo amounted to a rejection of the proposal by Trump. The summit conclusions were welcomed by the Hamas militant group which leads Gaza. The Israeli regime however unsurprisingly rejected the offer.
The plan by Egypt consists of three stages: interim measures, reconstruction, and governance. The first phase will go for six months, followed by the next two phases to run over a combined four to five years. Phase 1’s estimated cost would be around $3 billion and will include clearing rubble, building 200,000 houses, and restoring 60,000 buildings. Phase 2 will witness the construction of 400,000 houses, and it will cost around $20 billion. The Phase 3’s estimated cost will be $30 billion, and the humanitarian aid and governance will be taken care of by the technocratic committees. Israel continues to support the displacement plan by Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has described the plan of US president Donald Trump as “visionary”, has repeatedly ruled out any future role for Hamas, and has also for the Palestinian Authority.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, Egypt, meanwhile, has called the response by Israel unacceptable.
Egypt and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan are the only two Arab nations who currently have peace treaties with the Zionist regime. It is a frosty peace. The decision by the regime in Cairo to counter Washington’s proposal to possibly remove the Gaza populace from the coastal strip and take ownership of its reconstruction was a shot in the foot for Israeli expansionist ambitions. The counter proposal by Cairo (or where ever the Egyptian government resides) call for temporary housing or shelter to be erected for the Palestinians close at hand. The need for the Palestinians to rebuild as well as bury their loved ones needs to be accompanied by an open discussion about what each and every party involved wants as regard to a lasting peace and statehood for Palestine. The Palestinian Authority (PA) for its part cannot continue with business as usual.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu cannot remain at the helm of the Israeli government. He is a war criminal. The same might be argued for the remaining Hamas leadership. They should step aside and answer for their crimes in the Hague. This should be the faith of the Israeli generals and coalition partners who abided the Israeli PM in these crimes too.
In the following years, the plan envisages completely reshaping the strip, building “sustainable, green and walkable” housing and urban areas, with renewable energy. It renovates agricultural lands and creates industrial zones and large park areas. It also calls for the opening of an airport, a fishing port and a commercial port. The Oslo peace accords in the 1990s called for the opening of an airport and a commercial port in Gaza, but the projects withered as the peace process collapsed. Hamas would cede power to an interim administration of political independents until a reformed Palestinian Authority can assume control. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Western-backed authority and an opponent of Hamas, attended the summit.
The idea of the Gaza strip becoming a functioning centre of commerce sounds good on paper. But is it feasible? The idea certainly sounds more realistic than Trump’s beach resort proposal where the US will be calling the shots as another occupying colonial power. However, Gaza is a strip of coastal land smaller than a collection of suburbs in densely populated Cairo. The collapse of the Oslo peace accords happened because Washington could not take a hard line against the Israelis as an occupying power. This was during the administrations of US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush. The current plan as put forward by El Sisi is to use debris from the ruins of Gaza to build reclaimed land along the coastal strip.
Another interesting matter concerning the Egyptian government, the Jordanian King Abdullah II and the other Arab leaders with the exception of the new Syrian government is that they may not want Hamas to remain armed or continue to hold any kind of power. Only time will tell what route will be taken as regard the political and economic future of Palestine.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
