Arab leaders have endorsed a $53bn (£42bn) plan to rebuild Gaza under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in a rushed attempt to present an alternative to Donald Trump’s idea for a property development-style plan.
Trump’s suggestion involved a relocation of the Palestinian population that has been widely criticised as effectively endorsing ethnic cleansing.
The prospect of the PA governing Gaza remains far from certain, however, with Israel having ruled out any future role for the body, and Trump having closed the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) liaison office in Washington during his first term while stepping up support for Israel.
In response, the Israeli foreign ministry said the reconstruction plan “failed to address” the realities of the situation following Hamas’ 7 October attack, adding that it did not mention the killing and kidnapping of Israelis during the attack or criticise Hamas.
Hamas, however, called for provision of the means to ensure the plan’s success and considered the summit a “step forward” for Arab and Islamic support behind the Palestinian cause.
The new proposal, presented at an Arab League summit in Cairo, focused on emergency relief, rebuilding shattered infrastructure and long-term economic development….
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What the Egyptian proposal did not fully address was who would run the devastated territory, with a draft communique only mentioning what it called support for a Palestinian administrative committee.
Critically, it has also not received backing from Gaza’s occupying power: Israel. Previous economic plans for Gaza failed after they were stifled by Israel, which has blockaded and bombed the strip for years. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said he wants permanent, overarching control over all land in the Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, inside the coastal strip, the Hamas group has been battered by 16 months of war but remains a political force, and is unlikely to agree to a process that excludes it.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group rejected any attempt to impose projects on Palestinians….
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While the ceasefire remains in place, Arab states have rushed to present an alternative to Trump’s plan, which they fear would destabilise the entire region, especially if Palestinians in Gaza are forcibly ejected….
ISW….Iran Update, March 4, 2025
The United States designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on March 4.[62]Houthi officials have threatened to conduct unspecified military action if the United States sanctions Houthi leaders. These threats come amid recent Yemeni media reports that the United States might sanction Houthi Supreme Political Council Chairman Mahdi al Mashat and chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam.[63]
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The United States has granted 95 million US dollars in military assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), according to two US officials speaking to Axios.[64] An unspecified US official described LAF deployments to former Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon as “major progress.”
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