Arab countries approved Egyptian Plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip

Published at: 04/03/2025 10:19 PM

Arab countries approved this Tuesday, March 03, an Egyptian Plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip in five years, valued at 53 billion dollars, which provides for a provisional government of technocrats and rejects the expulsion of Palestinians from their lands.

The initiative, reported on the Prensa Latina website, was presented this Tuesday, 03, in the New Administrative Capital, located about 45 kilometers from Cairo, during an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League, which aimed to unify positions in defense of the Palestinian people and in rejection of the displacement proposal defended by the US president, Donald Trump.

It consists of several phases, first immediate aid and shelter for the inhabitants, as well as the cleaning of millions of tons of debris, and then rebuilding homes and infrastructure.

In the six-month recovery cycle, three billion dollars will be spent on debris removal, followed by the first phase, which will last two years, and will cost 20 billion dollars to build about 200,000 homes.

This will lead to a second phase of 30 months, in which another 30 billion dollars will be used to build another 200,000 housing units, an airport, a fishing port and a commercial port, as well as industrial facilities.

The proposal leaves open the door to the establishment of a trust fund under international supervision as a funding mechanism.

The Egyptian project envisages creating seven temporary housing areas in this coastal enclave to house 1.5 million Palestinians and stipulates that the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) could consider deploying an international peacekeeping force in the territory.

In addition, it establishes the creation of a committee to manage the Strip for a period of six months, in preparation for the return of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), although Israel, the occupying power, flatly rejects that last possibility.

The board will consist of independent and technocratic figures, and will operate under the umbrella of the ANP.

As part of the proposal, Egypt and Jordan will train Palestinian police in preparation for deployment in Gaza.

Several Arab media outlets highlighted in the last few hours that although there is total support for the Palestinian cause and in rejection of displacement between Arab states, there are also profound differences on several issues relating to the future of the territory, including the reconstruction process and sources of funding.

In this regard, the Egyptian daily Al Ahram also recognized regional concern at the restart of the war, which is why several countries required guarantees so as not to waste money.

Others are also calling for a reform of the Palestinian National Authority and there are calls to disarm the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), although its leaders flatly rejected that possibility.

On that last point, the document states that the issue of weapons will be addressed through a credible peace process, culminating in the creation of a Palestinian State, which would pave the way for the establishment of normal relations between Israel and Arab countries.

Mazo News Team