Palestinian children carry food past destroyed buildings at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on March 3, 2025. (Photo: AFP)
Washington, March 5 (RHC)-- The United States and Israel have rejected a long-awaited Arab plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip that would allow the territory’s roughly two million residents to stay in their homeland.
Arab leaders adopted Tuesday a unified plan for the future of the Gaza Strip at an emergency summit in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The proposal counters President Donald Trump’s controversial plan for the United States to take over Gaza and permanently resettle its population.
Both the White House and the Tel Aviv regime claimed that the Arab plan failed to address realities in Gaza. They said they stood by Trump’s plan to expel the territory’s Palestinian residents and transform it into a “Riviera” owned by the United States.
“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,” National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement on Tuesday.
“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.”
Israel’s foreign ministry also said in a statement that with “Trump’s idea, there is an opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will. This should be encouraged!”
“Instead, Arab states have rejected this opportunity, without giving it a fair chance, and continue to level baseless accusations against Israel.”
Arab League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki said the Israeli foreign ministry’s response to the Arab plan was “against humanity and against morals.” He said Trump’s proposal “is against international law and, we have said this time and again, this is not a way to treat this man-made crisis.”
“This is a war that has been waged by Israel partly with the aim of driving Palestinians out of their territory.”
Trump proposed in February that Washington would take over control of the Gaza Strip — possibly with the help of US troops — to create a “Riviera” of West Asia. He said the displaced Palestinians would have no right of return since, he claimed, they would have “much better housing” in Egypt, Jordan and other countries.
