FOX NEWS | Published March 9, 2025
The plan was meant to counter Trump’s Gaza takeover proposal
A $53 billion Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza has garnered support from France, Germany, Italy and the U.K., after receiving pushback from the U.S. and Israel.
“The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,” the foreign ministers wrote in a joint statement.
The foreign ministers called for a post-war plan based on “a solid political and security framework,” but reiterated the need for Hamas to not be able to govern Gaza. Additionally, the European leaders said that they are supportive of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) “central role” in a post-war Gaza and “the implementation of its reform agenda.”
Palestinians walk through the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on Feb. 12, 2025, on a rainy day. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The $53 billion Egyptian plan was meant as a counter to President Donald Trump’s U.S. takeover idea and comes after Cairo rejected the idea of accepting displaced Gazans for “national security” reasons. While Trump’s plan would resettle Palestinians outside the Strip, Egypt’s proposal focuses on Palestinian-led reconstruction efforts.
Both the U.S. and Israel have rejected the Arab-backed plan for Gaza reconstruction. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said in a statement that the plan “fails to address the realities of the situation following October 7th, 2023, remaining rooted in outdated perspectives.”
Destroyed buildings are pictured in the west of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Feb. 11, 2025 amid the current ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images)
PRESSED BY TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN, ARAB COUNTRIES MEET IN EGYPT TO DISCUSS ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL
Marmorstein’s statement also criticized the plan for its reliance on the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). He says that both the PA and UNRWA “have repeatedly demonstrated corruption, support for terrorism, and failure in resolving the issue.”
While U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff called the plan a “good faith first step,” State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that it “does not fulfill the requirements, the nature of what President Trump is asking for.”
Additionally, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes expressed concerns about the plan in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
The current proposal does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable, and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance. President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas.”
Trump received heavy criticism last month when he suggested the U.S. take over Gaza during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu. Trump’s proposal would involve the relocation of Palestinians and turning the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
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SOURCE: www.foxnews.com
RELATED: France, Germany, Italy and UK give support to Arab-backed plan for rebuilding Gaza
Foreign ministers say proposal rejected by US and Israel and that does not significantly address Hamas ‘shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza’
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock gives a press statement on the support of Ukraine, at the Foreign Office in Berlin on March 1, 2025 (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
THE TIMES OF ISRAEL | Published March 9, 2025
The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the UK said Saturday they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave.
“The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,” the ministers said in a joint statement.
“We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more,” they said. “We commend the serious efforts of all involved stakeholders and appreciate the important signal the Arab states have sent by jointly developing this recovery and reconstruction plan.”
The plan, which was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders earlier this month, has been rejected by US President Donald Trump and Israel, although there have been mixed signals from Washington.
It is a counter to Trump, who triggered global outrage by suggesting the US “take over” Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” while forcing its Palestinian inhabitants to relocate to Egypt, Jordan, or other countries.
The Arab plan envisions an independent committee of technocrats running Gaza for six months before handing off control of the Strip to the Palestinian Authority. It provides for Palestinians to remain in the Strip while it is being rebuilt, as opposed to Trump’s proposal that the entire population be relocated.
Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noël Barrot conducts a press conference during the G20 Foreign Minister Meeting at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg on February 21, 2025 (Phill Magakoe / AFP)
It offers international peacekeeping troops to be dispatched in Gaza through a UN Security Council resolution. In the meantime, Egypt and Jordan will train Palestinian Authority police officers so that they can then be dispatched to Gaza to uphold law and order, the plan says.
However, the Arab proposal does not significantly address Hamas, instead maintaining that armed groups in Gaza can only be fully addressed through a political process that establishes a Palestinian state.
Friday saw the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopt the Arab plan.
The decision by the 57-member grouping came at an emergency meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, three days after the Arab League ratified the plan at a summit in Cairo.
“The emergency ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopted the Egyptian plan, which has now become an Arab-Islamic plan,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said, in comments echoed by his Sudanese counterpart.
“It is certainly a very positive thing,” Abdelatty said.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Thursday that the plan “does not meet the expectations” of Washington. White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said it didn’t account for “the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable.”
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff gave a more positive reaction, calling it a “good-faith first step from the Egyptians.”
Witkoff reiterated that rebuilding Gaza would take 10 to 15 years, during which the Strip would be uninhabitable. Still, he avoided criticizing the Egyptian plan that allows Palestinians to remain in Gaza while it is being rebuilt by dividing the enclave into seven zones and working on them separately.
“We’re evaluating everything there. It’s a little bit early to comment,” Witkoff said in response to a question regarding this aspect of the Egyptian plan. “We need more discussion about it.”
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SOURCE: www.timesofisrael.com
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