Arab world pushes back on Trump's Gaza plan

This is crunch time for the Gaza challenge. After two weeks of roller coaster statements by US President Donald Trump regarding the future of Gaza and its 2.2 million inhabitants, the ball has finally landed in the Arab court. Trump had shocked the world when he announced that the US would “own” and “take over” the beleaguered Palestinian enclave that had, in his words, become a “demolition site.”

The bombshell announcement, first made at a White House press conference in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, took everyone by surprise, including Trump’s senior aides. The US president doubled down by adding that he would push Egypt and Jordan to receive an unspecified number of Gazans who would be resettled there.

Furthermore, Trump later said that the US would rebuild the devastated strip of land and turn it into “a Mediterranean Riviera” and that Gazans would not be allowed to return.

'By US authority!'

These revelations, US aides said, were meant to present a humanitarian solution to the plight of the people of Gaza. But even as some of Trump’s closest allies at Capitol Hill described the proposal as “fanciful,” adding that forcing two of America’s closest Arab allies to absorb the Palestinians will lead to regional instability, Trump appeared adamant.

During a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House last week, Trump was asked by a reporter by which authority the US would take over Gaza. He responded: By US authority!

King Abdullah was clear in voicing his rejection of the displacement of the Palestinians. He said that the Arabs will soon respond to Trump with their plan that does not include transfer.

Trump’s proposal sent tremors across the globe. Even America’s closest Western allies denounced the idea, with some describing it as a war crime and as ethnic cleansing. Naturally, the Palestinians also rejected the premise and warned that such an idea was meant to bury the Palestinians cause once and for all.

And if some Arab countries were hesitant to criticise Trump’s audacious proposal, they rallied to attack the idea after Netanyahu made a tongue-in-cheek statement that Saudi Arabia should host a future Palestinian state. The Israeli premier had relished after his meeting with Trump and suggested that Israel supports the president’s proposal to displace Gazans while confirming that the two-state solution is dead.

It is not clear if Trump’s cynical suggestion was serious or if he was pushing various regional players to come up with a realistic “day-after” counterproposal. But in any case, the latter option is what we now see developing.

Cairo has called for an emergency Arab summit on the 27th of the month. Meanwhile, Riyadh will host a five-way leaders’ meeting on the 20th aimed at developing an Arab solution to the Gaza challenge that rests on two main pillars: reconstruction and support for the people of Gaza to remain on their land.

The Egyptians are working on a detailed plan as a counter proposal that guarantees both objectives. But there is a third goal that the US and Israel want to see happening: The end of Hamas’ control of the Palestinian enclave.

Long-term reconstruction of Gaza

Pressure is mounting on the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and other Palestinian factions to agree on a plan to create a non-factional body to oversee the administration of Gaza in the coming phase. That will involve an Arab peacekeeping force, backed by international monitors, to demilitarise Gaza, allow for the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid, and manage the long-term reconstruction of Gaza.

On Saturday, news agencies quoted an Egyptian senior source as saying that Hamas is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the ceasefire agreement and that it will not partake in administering the enclave in the future. That is a huge development that should pull the rug from under Israel’s extremist government. After all, its conflict is with Hamas and not the people of Gaza, even if the evidence is on the ground — 90 per cent destruction of Gaza, with more than 49,000 killed, mostly civilians say the opposite.

Arab countries can come up with a strong and united position about the future of Gaza that precludes displacement and guarantees reconstruction. Both are tough challenges, but the stakes are high.

Of course, even if Trump yields to the Arab position on Gaza, the other substantial challenge will be the future of the West Bank where both Trump and Netanyahu seem to be close to agreeing to an Israeli annexation.

Trump, in his first term, proposed a deal to end the conflict that was unfair to the Palestinians. That deal was rejected. Could he be contemplating a scenario where the Palestinians are left with a mini-state in Gaza, run under severe administration that will make sure no threat is made to Israel? What does that say about the West Bank with more than 3 million Palestinians?

This is indeed crunch time, not only for the Palestinians but for the region as a whole. A united and strong Arab position is needed to make sure that the West Bank is not sacrificed for the sake of saving Gaza!

Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.