Arabs scramble to counter Trump’s Gaza plan, save ‘two state’ solution

Arab states, who were swift to reject President Donald Trump’s plan for the US to take control of Gaza and resettle its Palestinians, are scrambling to agree on a diplomatic offensive to counter the idea.

Trump’s plan has infuriated the Palestinians and Arab countries and upended decades of US diplomacy focused on a two-state solution.

But Arab states trying to devise an alternative plan have yet to tackle critical issues like who will foot the bill for Gaza’s reconstruction — estimated by the UN at more than $50 billion — or how the Strip will be governed, according to sources familiar with diplomatic discussions ahead of the meeting. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Leaders of Gulf Arab countries plus Egypt and Jordan met today in Riyadh for what Saudi Arabia said would be an unofficial meeting within the framework of “close brotherly relations”.

Riyadh’s statement made no official mention of discussions about Gaza. The meet up was to discuss a mainly Egyptian proposal to counter Trump’s plan to “clean out” Palestinians from Gaza and resettle most of them in Jordan and Egypt.

Cairo’s proposal could include up to $20 billion in funding over three years pledged mostly by wealthy Gulf and Arab states, but no commitments have been made clear yet.

It remains unclear if the Arab leaders will be able to reach a consensus on a unified alternative to Trump’s plan ahead of an emergency meeting of the Arab League set for March 4 in Cairo. Palestinians and others in the region are concerned Trump’s proposal would destabilise the region, repeating the 1948 ‘Nakba’.