The United States has rejected the Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, which was approved by Arab countries on Tuesday (4th March) at a summit held in Cairo. The plan was prepared as a counterproposal to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily remove the entire population of Gaza and develop the territory into a beach destination. The Egyptian plan is estimated to cost $53 million and does not require depopulating the territory.
US National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes dismissed the plan, saying it “does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance”. He added, “President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas. We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”
Last month, US President Trump shared an Artificial Intelligence (AI) video showcasing his plans for converting strife-torn Gaza into a paradise—a riviera of the Middle East, as he likes to call it. Trump’s plan for Gaza involves relocating Palestinians to neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, where they will be provided with stable living conditions. This will be followed by the US-led reconstruction work after the removal of ordnance and debris and, ultimately, the development of infrastructure to create jobs and housing to prevent the region from falling back into conflict.
What is the Egyptian plan?
The Egyptian plan for the redevelopment of Gaza includes three phases- Interim measures, reconstruction and governance. The first phase will take about six months and the remaining two phases are estimated to take around 4-5 years to complete.
The first phase of Interim measures will be carried out by a committee of Palestinian technocrats operating under the Palestinian Authority. This will include the removal of debris from Salah al-Din Street, which is the main north-south highway in the Gaza Strip. This will be followed by the construction of temporary housing to accommodate 1.2 million people. Damaged buildings will also be restored in this phase. This phase is estimated to cost $3 billion.
After the interim measures are complete, the second phase of reconstruction will start, which will cost $20 billion. In this phase, around 400,000 permanent houses will be built, and services like water, waste, telecom and electricity will be restored. An industrial zone, fishing port, commercial port and airport will also be constructed.
In the third and last phase of Governance, which will cost $30 billion, humanitarian and governance work will be carried out under the watch of a government of ‘independent Palestinian technocrats’. A Steering and Management Council will be set up to provide funds to the interim government in Gaza. The funding for the entire plan is supposed to some from a variety of sources including the UN, international financial organisations and foreign and private sector investments.
However, with the Trump administration rejecting the Arab proposal, it will be difficult to implement. Notably, Israel has already supported the Trump’s plan on Gaza.
