(Photo credit: The Peninsula)Arab leaders endorse Egypt's $53bn plan for Gaza reconstruction, reject forced displacement of Palestinians
An Arab summit convened in Cairo on 4 March adopted an Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza in a bid to counter US President Donald Trump's proposal to forcibly expel Palestinians from the strip while turning it into a "Middle East Riviera" for Israel's Jewish settlers.
The final statement from the summit called for finding a realistic alternative to the displacement of the Palestinian people and, before that, the categorical rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land or within it.
It also condemned the "starvation and scorched earth policies" pursued by Israel to forcibly displace Palestinians and stressed the importance of implementing the second and third stages of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which call for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the strip.
The statement also condemned Israel's attacks on Syria and its incursions into Syrian territory while calling on the international community to compel Israel to stop these violations.
A detailed draft of the Egyptian plan obtained by Sputnik envisions setting aside $53 billion to reconstruct Gaza and forming a committee to manage it for 6 months in preparation for the return of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
As part of the Egyptian plan, an international conference for the reconstruction of Gaza in Cairo will be held later this month. At the same time, a trust fund will be set up to receive contributions from donor nations.
The draft of the plan added that "implementing reconstruction requires arrangements for transitional governance and providing security in a way that preserves the prospects of a two-state solution."
The Egyptian plan anticipates that the early recovery phase will last six months and require $3 billion, while the first reconstruction phase will last for two years and cost $20 billion.
The second reconstruction phase is expected to last two and a half years and cost $30 billion.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas also addressed the summit, saying that a working committee had been formed to prepare for taking up security "responsibilities after restructuring and unifying its cadres present in the Gaza Strip and training them in Egypt and Jordan."
The Jordan Timesobserved that while several Arab heads of state participated in Tuesday's summit, de facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) was "notably absent, sending his top diplomat instead."
The UN says more than 90% of homes in Gaza are destroyed or damaged | Image Reuters
Image caption: Egypt's plan for Gaza's reconstruction is presented in a 91-page brochure
The other sensitive issue of security was dealt with by calling on the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeepers.
And a major international conference will be held next month to raise the huge sums of money necessary for this rebuilding project.
Wealthy Gulf states appear willing to foot some of the colossal bill. But no one is ready to invest unless they are absolutely convinced buildings won't come crashing down in another war.
A fragile ceasefire which now seems to be on the brink of collapse will only amplify that hesitation.
This new Arab plan to rebuild Gaza would unfold in three phases including an initial period of about six months, called the early recovery stage, to start clearing the massive amounts of rubble as well as unexploded ordinance. Two subsequent stages would last several years.
During this time displaced Palestinians, said to number 1.5 million, would be housed in temporary containers. Photographs in the glossy brochure present them as well-built and designed housing units set in pretty landscaped areas.
President Trump continues to wonder aloud "Why wouldn't they want to move?" His description of Gaza as a "demolition site" underlines how the territory lies in utter ruin. The UN says 90% of homes are damaged or destroyed.
All the basics of a life worth living, from schools and hospitals to sewage systems and electricity lines, are shredded.
The video below entitled, Drone footage shows devastation in northern Gaza (29 January), appears to be the same one which the BBC embedded at the end of their article.
The following is the description for the video as posted by All News on YouTube:
Drone footage has revealed massive devastation in Jabalia and Beit Hanoun, two areas in northern Gaza.
Reports indicate that 300,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to a catastrophic situation, with widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services.
The footage likely shows collapsed buildings, rubble-filled streets, and humanitarian struggles as people attempt to rebuild their lives. Aid agencies describe the humanitarian crisis as dire, with shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
Although the Arab League plans for the reconstruction of Gaza will likely have its challenges, I feel a lot better about them than I did about Trump’s sinister ‘Gaza Riviera’ designs which would have involved the complete displacement and removal of Palestinians – their ethnic cleansing from their homeland, most likely forever in alignment with Netanyahu’s evil “Greater Israel” plans and the Zionist final solution for Palestinians.
All Trump ever cared about was getting his grubby old paws on the valuable Mediterranean beachfront property of Gaza and the offshore gas reserves in the area which Bibi has apparently already been attempting to steal.
April 4, 2024:
Reports suggest that Tel Aviv has granted 12 gas exploration licences to 6 local and international companies in areas within Palestinian maritime zones, thus violating international law, according to which 20 nautical miles from Gaza's coast fall within the maritime jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
🇵🇸 There must be peace, freedom & autonomy for Palestine. 🇵🇸
“Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was an award-winning Palestinian author and poet. His literature, particularly his poetry, created a sense of Palestinian identity and was used to resist the occupation of his homeland.
“In ‘Think of Others,’ the poet’s message is self-evident. Darwish repeats the same phrases, and urging us to not only be grateful for what we have, but also to help those who are less fortunate. The poems acts as a powerful plea from Darwish to ‘be the candle in the dark’ and to help those are who in need; both near and far.”
~ Analysis by Lydia Marouf @ Palestine Advocacy Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A5BGrlX86g&t=9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XfTJ3Njk5O
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX_xXMsg9Bl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EmvANgw9Mk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5s_trEBcbU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxQNk81ELbl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dónmeh