Saudi Arabia spearheads ‘Arab alternative’ to Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan for Gaza: Report

Saudi Arabia has been “spearheading” Arab efforts to develop an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over the Gaza Strip and expel its population, according to 10 sources cited by Reuters on 14 February.

“Draft ideas will be discussed at a meeting in Riyadh this month of countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Proposals may involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas,” five of the sources stated.

The sources said the kingdom was horrified by Trump’s proposal, namely because it contradicts the Saudi demand that a path to Palestinian statehood be established as part of any deal for a normalization of ties between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.

In a controversial statement to Hebrew news outlet Channel 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called earlier this month for the establishment of a Palestinian state inside Saudi Arabia.

One of the sources told Reuters that at least four proposals have been drafted so far, and that a proposal put forward by Egypt has been emerging as a key framework for Arab-led efforts to find an alternative to Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan.

“The Egyptian proposal involves forming a national Palestinian committee to govern Gaza without Hamas involvement, international participation in reconstruction without displacing Palestinians abroad, and movement towards a two-state solution,” three Egyptian sources said.

EU states have also been working with Arab states to devise an alternative to the Trump plan.

A European diplomat told Financial Times (FT) that the foreign ministers of Germany, France, the UK, and Italy will hold talks on the matter with Arab states at the Munich Security Conference, which kicked off on 14 February.

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Minister Badr Abdel Aati emphasized during his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron that Egypt is formulating a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of Gaza without displacing its residents.

The ministry stated that Abdel Aati informed Macron, during their discussions on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting on Syria in Paris on Thursday, that the plan is designed to support Gaza’s residents by “implementing programs and projects for early recovery, removing rubble, and reconstruction, with the Palestinians on their land.”

Macron expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s efforts in this regard and his support for regional security and stability, affirming France’s backing for Egypt’s initiatives “while the Palestinians remain on their land.”

Trump announced last week that the US will “take over” Gaza and relocate its population to neighboring countries, claiming that the plan aims to find a safer location for Palestinians while international development teams take charge of reconstructing the battered and besieged strip.

Yet the US president has since stated that Palestinians will not be allowed to return to Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly jumped on board the plan.

Trump has been insisting on the idea of Jordan and Egypt taking in the Palestinian population of the strip, which both Arab states have rejected.