In contrast to US President Donald Trump’s widely denounced plan to annex the Gaza Strip and force its residents to leave, Arab leaders on Tuesday approved a plan to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip under the future governance of the Palestinian Authority.
But with Israel ruling out any future role for the PA and Trump closing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) liaison office in Washington during his first term while increasing support for Israel, the possibility of the PA ruling Gaza is still far from certain.
Trump’s suggestion that the US “take over” the Gaza Strip and make it the “Riviera of the Middle East” while evicting its Palestinian residents to Egypt or Jordan sparked outcry around the world.
The acceptance of a “comprehensive Arab plan” at the Arab League summit in Cairo on Tuesday, one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his support for Trump’s proposal, provided an alternative.
It called on the world community to support the creation of a trust fund to cover the cost of rebuilding the area.
“All these efforts are proceeding in parallel with the launch of a political track” towards Palestinian statehood, it added, an ambition that Israeli leaders have opposed.
The statement welcomed “the Palestinian decision to form a Gaza administration committee under the umbrella of the Palestinian government”.
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