What Is Saudi Arabia's "Arab Alternative" To Trump's Plan Of Ethnic Cleansing Gaza (file image)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 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. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates will discuss the issue at a meeting to be held at Riyadh this month.
“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.
According to the sources, 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 Saudi’s normalisation of ties with Tel Aviv.
Reportedly, earlier this month, in a controversial statement to Hebrew news outlet Channel 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the establishment of a Palestinian state inside Saudi Arabia.
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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, one of the sources told the news agency.
“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.
As per the report, European Union states have also been working with Arab states hoping to strike an alternative to the US President’ Gaza take over plan.
A European diplomat said 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, reported Financial Times.
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”.
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Macron expressed appreciation for Egypt, and France’s support for regional security and stability, affirming France’s backing for Egypt’s initiatives “while the Palestinians remain on their land”.
US President Donald Trump announced that he will take over Gaza. At first he said he would buy Gaza. Then claimed that Israel will handover Gaza to US. In his latest remark on the controversy, he said US will “take” Gaza for free, and does not have to buy it.
He said the Palestinians will have beautiful homes somewhere else, and asked Jordan and Egypt to take them. While the two countries earlier denied it, after meeting with Trump, Jordan King said he would take 2,000 Gaza children who are sick. Reportedly, Jordan only took around 20 children who were in dire need of medical assistance during Israel’s 15 months of genocidal war on Gaza.
Trump also said that the Palestinians will not allowed to return to Gaza. International communities will be deployed to reconstruct the coastal enclave.
(With inputs from agencies)
