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Arab states adopt Egyptian alternative to Trump’s ‘Gaza Riviera’

March 5, 2025

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Arab leaders adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza on Tuesday that would cost $53 billion and avoid resettling Palestinians, in contrast to US President Donald Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” vision, according to a copy of the plan.

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that the proposal had been accepted at the closing of a summit in Cairo.

Sisi said at the summit that he was certain that Trump would be able to achieve peace in the Gaza conflict.

The major questions that need to be answered about Gaza’s future are who will run the enclave and which countries will provide the billions of dollars needed for reconstruction.

Sisi said Egypt had worked in cooperation with Palestinians on creating an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza.

The committee 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 (PA), he said.

The other critical issue is the fate of Hamas. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the PA, said he welcomed the Egyptian idea.

Abbas, in power since 2005, also said he was ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections if circumstances allowed.

Reconstruction would need Gulf states

Any reconstruction funding would require heavy buy-in from oil-rich Gulf Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which have the billions of dollars needed.

The UAE, which sees Hamas and other Islamimists as an existential threat, wants an immediate and complete disarmament of the terror group, while other Arab countries advocate a gradual approach, a source close to the matter said.

A source close to Saudi Arabia’s royal court says the continued armed presence of Hamas in Gaza was a stumbling block because of strong objections from the United States and Israel, who would need to sign off on any plan.

In a speech at the summit, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said international guarantees were needed that the current temporary ceasefire would remain in place, and supported the PA’s role in governing the strip.

Leaders of the UAE and Qatar did not speak during open sessions of the summit.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri on Tuesday rejected Israeli and US calls for the terror group to disarm. Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group would not accept any attempt to impose projects, or any form of non-Palestinian administration or the presence of foreign forces.

Alternative to Trump plan

Egypt, Jordan, and Gulf Arab states have for almost a month been consulting over an alternative to Trump’s ambition for an exodus of Palestinians and a US rebuild of Gaza, which they fear would destabilise the entire region.

A draft final communique from the summit seen earlier by Reuters firmly rejected the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza.

Egypt’s Reconstruction Plan for Gaza is a 112-page document that includes maps of how its land would be re-developed and dozens of colorful AI-generated images of housing developments, gardens, and community centers. The plan includes a commercial harbour, a technology hub, beach hotels, and an airport.

Israel was unlikely to oppose an Arab entity taking responsibility for Gaza’s government if Hamas was off the scene, said a source familiar with the matter.

But an Israeli official told Reuters that Israel’s war aims from the beginning have been to destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.

“Therefore, if they are going to get Hamas to agree to demilitarise, it needs to be immediately. Nothing else will be acceptable,” the official said.

Following the emergency summit, Hamas said it welcomed Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan and called for providing means for its success.

White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes dismissed the Egyptian proposal as unworkable, according to the Associated Press.

“The current proposal does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance. President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas. We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region,” Hughes was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

“The statement issued at the Emergency Summit of the Extraordinary Arab Summit fails to address the realities of the situation following October 7th, 2023, remaining rooted in outdated perspective,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote on X/Twitter.

The statement issued at the Emergency Summit of the Extraordinary Arab Summit fails to address the realities of the situation following October 7th, 2023, remaining rooted in outdated perspectives. Notably, Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack, which resulted in thousands of Israeli… pic.twitter.com/gJp4gvUERJ

— Oren Marmorstein (@OrenMarmorstein) March 4, 2025

“Now, with President Trump’s idea, there is an opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will. This should be encouraged! Instead, Arab states have rejected this opportunity, without giving it a fair chance, and continue to level baseless accusations against Israel,” Marmorstein added.