By: Ollus Ndomu
Arab leaders have approved a sweeping $53 billion (£41.4 billion) reconstruction plan for Gaza, in a move widely seen as a direct counter to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial suggestion that the United States should “take over Gaza” and relocate its more than two million Palestinian residents.
The plan was formally adopted at an emergency summit held in Cairo, where the Arab League’s Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit declared, “The Egypt plan is now an Arab plan.”
Aboul Gheit also emphasized that the unified Arab position firmly rejects any displacement of Palestinians, whether voluntary or forced — a clear rebuke of Trump’s prior proposals.
The Egyptian government had presented a comprehensive 91-page document outlining its vision for Gaza’s reconstruction, featuring detailed designs of new neighborhoods lined with greenery, as well as modern public buildings intended to revitalize the devastated enclave.
The plan stands in stark contrast to a U.S.-backed concept dubbed the “Middle East Riviera,” which had been met with outrage across the Arab world for proposing large-scale population transfers and redevelopment heavily favoring external interests.
The newly adopted Arab plan goes beyond physical reconstruction, placing political rights and Palestinian self-determination at its core. Officials say the plan underscores that rebuilding Gaza cannot come at the expense of Palestinian sovereignty or the right of return for refugees displaced in past conflicts.
While President Trump’s ideas were not explicitly mentioned in the summit’s final communique, the message was clear: any future for Gaza must be determined by Palestinians themselves, with the support of Arab nations — not imposed by outside powers.
The Cairo summit’s outcome signals a united Arab front on the Gaza question at a time of ongoing tensions and mounting international pressure to resolve the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
