Is There Method to His Madness? Egypt to Present Comprehensive Arab Gaza Reconstruction Plan

Feb. 15—Egypt’s Foreign Ministry announced Feb. 11 that it will soon be presenting a comprehensive plan for the redevelopment of Gaza, which has been turned into an uninhabitable rubble-field by the Butcher of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s in his war of extermination against its Palestinian inhabitants. The plan comes in response to the request from President Donald Trump for nations to “come up with a better plan” than his proposal to exile Gaza’s remaining population to some other location or locations, and while under American direction and ownership, Gaza is turned into a “Riviera on the Mediterranean “ for the “people of the world.”

Trump’s proposal, which was universally rejected by the world, with the exception of Bibi and the lunatic racists of his coalition government, sources have said, was more a provocation than a plan. “It was and is not something real,” said a source close to the White House. “If you peel back the rhetoric, there is no way to remove the Palestinians from Gaza, as they simply won’t go. Forcing them to leave against their will would create a bloodbath, and, besides, there is really no place for them to go.

“Trump glossed over this problem, but said he was open to discussion and suggestions, as long as he could be shown that any plan offered addresses the unlivable conditions in Gaza and also deals with the removal of the tens of thousands of unexploded munitions. More importantly, he wanted whatever nation or group of nations presenting such a plan to take ownership, not of Gaza, but of the problem of creating a lasting peace with the Israelis, while preventing the terrorist murderers inside Hamas from ruling over the area. The Egyptian plan, which will keep the Gazans in their homeland while it is rebuilt, appears to check all the boxes.

The announcement of the proposed Egyptian plan, albeit without details, came as Trump was meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in the White House. In his private discussion with Trump, the King reiterated his opposition to any plan that would expel the Palestinians from Gaza, but sources say, he told the President that he believed that the Egyptian plan, when it is fleshed out, would be something that Trump could work with. Trump reportedly acknowledged that he was open to any plan and new ideas and looked forward to seeing the proposal from Cairo.

Appearing on a talk show Feb. 13, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of the proposed Egyptian Plan: “Now, if someone has a better plan—and we hope they do—if the Arab countries have a better plan, then that’s great. Then—they say they do, they’re going to come up with it, we’re going to look at it…. Obviously, I can tell you that any plan that leaves Hamas there, is going to be a problem, because Israel is not going to tolerate it…. So—but we’re going to give them a chance to come up with a plan. I think they’re working in good faith—and not just to pay for it, by the way, because … someone’s going to have to go in on the ground. I mean, Hamas has guns. They have weapons. Someone has to confront those guys…. It’s not going to be American soldiers. If the countries in the region can’t figure that piece out, then Israel is going to have to do it, and then we’re right back to where we’ve been. So that doesn’t solve the problem.

“So, we’re going to give them time" Rubio said. "I know they’re getting together. I think they’re meeting in Saudi Arabia in a couple of weeks, and then they’re going to get back to us with a plan….”

According to sources who have seen the draft outline of the Egyptian plan, it calls for a phased approach, during which concentration will be on meeting critical humanitarian needs of the Gazan population—increasing the flow of aid and supplies, including temporary housing At the same time, there will be efforts to rebuild and improve on-site infrastructure, including roads, sewer and water, as well as power and communications infrastructure. During this phase, construction equipment will be marshalled at or near Egypt’s border with Gaza. Factories will be set up to provide the construction materials for the massive rebuilding. Egypt has a lot of equipment available and not in current use, left over from the recent construction of its new capital city, but the plan is said to envision contributions from other sources as well, including from the United States.

Once the Gazan population is stabilized, reconstruction can begin in earnest—removing the rubble and then building new. Palestinians will be directly involved in the planning and labor of what is to be built.

Who will govern Gaza? This is not clear, except that it will not be Hamas, at least in its present form. The peace will be protected by a multi-nation peacekeeping force sourced from Arab countries. The civilian government might include Hamas members, but they would have to give up their arms and renounce terrorism. The most likely Palestinian overseer in this would be the Palestinian Authority.

The direction for this arrangement could be found in the proposal by Arab League Secretary General Aboul Gheit for Hamas to step down from administering Gaza; this has now been endorsed by Anwar Gargash, advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, who wrote that “the call by the Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit for Hamas to step down from the administration of Gaza is appropriate...The interest of the Palestinian people must come before the interest of the movement, especially in light of calls to displace Palestinians from Gaza.”

Such a resolution could come out of the Arab summit scheduled for May 19 in Saudi Arabia, sources say, with agreement from saner sections of the Hamas leadership.

Egyptian outlet Al Qahera reported Feb. 15, citing an Egyptian source involved in second phase negotiations, that Hamas said it will not be running Gaza starting from the cease-fire's next stage.

“Trump will look favorably on the Egyptian proposal,” said the source. “But expect him to put some of his own ideas into the mix, such as development of resorts along Gaza’s beautiful Mediterranean coast, that would make it a desirable tourist destination. That creates jobs in construction, maintenance, and in service.

“Any workable plan will need a great deal of power and fresh water,” said the source. “A plan to produce and distribute both might provide a way to broaden attention to region-wide development. The Oasis Plan, which Schiller Institute and its founder and chairwoman Helga Zepp-LaRouche has been circulating in the region and elsewhere, could provide the conceptual framework to guide today’s discussions. That plan, as devised by the late statesman and physical economist Lyndon LaRouche, calls for the building of nuclear power for desalination and electrical power, and sees cooperative economic development as the pathway to region-wide peace. Now that’s an idea that Trump should be able to grasp.”