US says Arab plan fails to address reality that Gaza is ‘uninhabitable’

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty calls Israeli rejection of the plan 'stubborn and extremist'

Arab leaders presented a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, much of which lies in ruins. AFP

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The US has said a plan presented by Arab states for rebuilding Gaza fails to address the reality that the enclave is “uninhabitable” and that residents "cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance".

In a statement to The National, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said US President Donald Trump stood by a plan he previously floated that aims to displace Palestinians from Gaza to make way for reconstruction and settle them in Jordan and Egypt.

“President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas,” Mr Hughes said. “We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region,” he added, appearing to leave the door open for discussions with Arab states.

Arab leaders gave their backing on Tuesday to an Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza at an emergency summit in Cairo, where they called for a long-term solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Arab plan avoids resettling Palestinians from Gaza.

Shortly after the Cairo gathering concluded, the Israeli foreign ministry rejected the outcome, also saying the Arab plan fails to address realities after the attack by Hamas of October 2023.

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“Hamas' brutal terrorist attack, which resulted in thousands of Israeli deaths and hundreds of kidnappings, is not mentioned, nor is there any condemnation of this murderous terrorist entity,” the ministry said.

Israel said it supported the earlier plan put forward by President Trump. It accused Arab states of shunning Mr Trump's proposal without giving it a chance.

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Israel also criticised what it said was Arab leaders' reliance for postwar administration on the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees. It said both had previously “demonstrated corruption and support for terrorism”.

Hamas, however, welcomed the outcome of the Cairo summit and called for providing the tools to ensure the plan's success, saying the meeting was a “step forward” in Arab and Islamic support for the Palestinian cause. It proposed the formation of a temporary committee “to oversee relief efforts, reconstruction and governance”.

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The militant group urged Arab leaders to compel Israel to commit to its ceasefire agreement with Hamas. “We value the Arab stance rejecting the attempts to displace our people,” the group said.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty blasted Israel’s rejection of Cairo's plan as “unacceptable”, describing its position as “stubborn and extremist”.

“There will be no peace neither to Israel or to the region” without establishing an independent Palestinian state in accordance with UN resolutions, he said. “Israel violates all international law rules … International law must be imposed. No single state should be allowed to impose its will on the international community.”

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians west of Gaza city. Egypt's reconstruction plan avoids displacing Gazans. AP

He said Egypt would seek backing from Muslim nations for its plan at an emergency summit of foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation scheduled for Friday in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

“On the 7th of March … in Jeddah there will be an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, and we will also seek to endorse this plan so that it becomes both an Arab plan and an Islamic plan,” Mr Abdelatty said at a news conference on the sidelines of the Cairo summit.

The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, to chart their own future, and to live on their land in freedom and security

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

Saudi Arabia’s cabinet expressed its “full support” for the outcome of Tuesday's gathering, official Saudi news agency SPA reported.

“The cabinet stressed the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and to attain their legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent state along the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital,” SPA said.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who also attended the Cairo summit, called for self-determination, security and aid for Gaza in a series of posts on X.

“Humanitarian aid is not negotiable. In Gaza, it must flow without impediment,” he said. “The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, to chart their own future, and to live on their land in freedom and security.”