The Arab Countries' Counterproposal on Gaza Strip Reconstruction Stirs Controversy with US State Department
U.S. State Department voices disapproval toward Gaza's post-conflict building project.
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Tensions regarding the Gaza Strip have been running high since US President Trump's controversial remarks about acquiring control of the region and relocating its residents. Recently, Arab countries presented a reconstruction plan to the US, causing a commotion with the State Department.
The Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, held discussions with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Qatar, as reported by QNA state news agency. The ministers agreed that the proposed plan could serve as a foundation for rebuilding the heavily devastated Gaza Strip. Witkoff praised the plan as an initial sincere step, but the State Department issued a statement later, criticizing that the plan doesn't meet the demands set forth by Trump.
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The Arab countries' plan, endorsed a week ago at a Cairo summit, outlines elimination of rubble and a phased construction of homes for Gaza's Palestinian residents over approximately five years, at an estimated cost of 50 billion euros. Despite many unanswered questions, such as funding and future governance of Gaza, the plan's feasibility remains uncertain.
The Arab plan involves the management of Gaza by "capable" locals while reinstating the Palestinian Authority in the region. Additionally, the Arab League urged Palestinians to unify under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), potentially excluding radical Islamic group Hamas, who currently govern the Gaza Strip and are not PLO members.
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In February, Trump hinted at the potential permanent relocation of Gaza's 1.9 million Palestinians to other countries, stating his intention to bring the region under US control and oversee its reconstruction. The suggestions were met with firm rejection from Egypt and Jordan. However, in a Washington press conference, Trump subsequently assured that no Palestinians would be forcibly displaced. When pressed about his earlier statements by a Voice of America journalist, Trump expressed cynicism, claiming, "No wonder."
Source: ntv.de, AFP/dpa
- Donald Trump
- Gaza Strip
- Egypt
- The Arab Countries' Counterproposal on Gaza Strip Reconstruction, which involves the management of Gaza by capable locals and the reinstatement of the Palestinian Authority, was recently presented to the US, and the Commission has also been consulted on the draft budget for this reconstruction, which is estimated to cost around 50 billion euros.
- Despite Middle Eastern nations, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, endorsing the Arab Countries' plan at a Cairo summit, and the US special envoy Steve Witkoff praising it as an initial sincere step, the US State Department criticized the plan for not meeting the demands set forth by President Trump, who has suggested the potential permanent relocation of Gaza's residents to other countries, a proposal that has been met with pushback from countries like Egypt and Jordan.
- In a twist of events, the billion-dollar requirements for the Gaza Strip's reconstruction are under scrutiny, as the proposed plan does not address the funding and future governance of the region, leaving many requirements unmet and the plan's feasibility uncertain.
