Saudi Arabia spearheads Arab scramble for alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan

By Pesha Magid, Samia Nakhoul, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Nafisa Eltahir

RIYADH/ABU DHABI/AMMAN/CAIRO (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia is spearheading pressing Arab efforts to develop a plan for Gaza’s future as a counter to U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambition for a Center East Riviera cleared of its Palestinian inhabitants, 10 sources mentioned.

Draft concepts can be mentioned at a gathering in Riyadh this month of nations together with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Proposals could contain a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas, 5 of the individuals mentioned.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have been aghast at Trump’s plan to “clear out” Palestinians from Gaza and resettle most of them in Jordan and Egypt, an thought instantly rejected by Cairo and Amman and seen in many of the area as deeply destabilising.

The dismay in Saudi Arabia was aggravated, sources mentioned, as a result of the plan would nix the dominion’s demand for a transparent path to Palestinian statehood as a situation to normalise ties with Israel – one thing that will additionally pave the best way for an formidable army pact between Riyadh and Washington, shoring up the dominion’s defences towards Iran.

Reuters spoke to fifteen sources in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere to construct an image of the hurried efforts by Arab states to drag collectively current proposals into a brand new plan they will promote to the U.S. president – even doubtlessly calling it a “Trump plan” to win his approval.

All of the sources declined to be recognized as a result of the difficulty entails worldwide or home sensitivities they usually weren’t authorised to talk in public.

One Arab authorities supply mentioned not less than 4 proposals had already been drafted for Gaza’s future, however an Egyptian proposal was now rising as central to the Arab push for a substitute for Trump’s thought.

THE EGYPTIAN PROPOSAL

The most recent Egyptian proposal entails forming a nationwide Palestinian committee to manipulate Gaza with out Hamas involvement, worldwide participation in reconstruction with out displacing Palestinians overseas, and motion in the direction of a two-state answer, three Egyptian safety sources mentioned.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Palestinian representatives will overview and focus on the plan in Riyadh earlier than it’s offered at a scheduled Arab summit on February 27, the Arab authorities supply mentioned.

The position of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, broadly referred to as MbS, is shaping as much as be key.

“We’re telling the People we’ve a plan that works. Our assembly with MbS goes to be vital. He’s taking the lead,” mentioned a Jordanian official.

The crown prince had a heat relationship with the primary Trump administration and is more and more central to Arab ties with america throughout the brand new Trump period.

Lengthy a serious regional companion for america, the crown prince is increasing Saudi Arabia’s relationship by way of enterprise and international energy politics.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is holding a convention in Miami this month that Reuters revealed Trump is predicted to attend. Riyadh can also be anticipated to host his coming talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to attempt to finish the Ukraine battle.

The White Home didn’t reply to a number of requests for touch upon this story.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, talking on Thursday, referred to the approaching Arab assembly, saying: “Proper now the one plan – they do not prefer it – however the one plan is the Trump plan. So if they have a greater plan, now’s the time to current it.”

Spokespeople for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and Israel didn’t instantly reply to Reuters requests for remark.

BUFFER ZONE

Clear plans for Gaza’s post-war future have already confirmed laborious to develop as they require positions on contentious debates concerning the territory’s inner governance, safety administration, funding and reconstruction.

Israel has already rejected any position for Hamas or the Palestinian Authority in governing Gaza, or guaranteeing safety there. Arab nations and america have additionally mentioned they don’t need to put troops on the bottom to do this.

Gulf states, which have traditionally paid for reconstruction in Gaza, have mentioned they don’t need to accomplish that this time with out ensures that Israel is not going to once more destroy what they construct.

Jordan’s King Abdullah emphasised to Trump on Monday at their assembly within the White Home that he was working with Saudi Arabia and Egypt on a Gaza plan that will work, a Jordanian official mentioned.

Abdullah mentioned in televised feedback after the assembly that the nations would overview an Egyptian plan and “we can be in Saudi Arabia to debate how we will work with the president and america”.

Reuters couldn’t instantly attain Jordan’s International Minister Ayman Safadi for remark. After Abdullah’s assembly with Trump, Safadi mentioned: “We at the moment are engaged on crystallising the Arab plan”.

Preliminary proposals shared by the three Egyptian safety sources referring to reconstruction and financing seem superior.

A buffer zone and bodily barrier can be erected to cease tunnels being constructed throughout Gaza’s border with Egypt. As quickly as rubble is eliminated, 20 areas can be established as short-term residing zones. Round 50 Egyptian and different international firms can be introduced in to hold out the work.

Financing would contain worldwide and Gulf cash, mentioned a regional supply with information of the matter. A possible fund might be named the Trump Fund for Reconstruction, the Arab authorities official mentioned.

Nevertheless, essentially the most troublesome points round Gaza’s governance and inner safety stay to be determined, the official mentioned.

Forcing Hamas out of any position in Gaza can be vital, mentioned the Arab official and the three Egyptian sources.

Hamas has beforehand mentioned it’s prepared to cede authorities in Gaza to a nationwide committee, however it might need a position in selecting its members and wouldn’t settle for the deployment of any floor forces with out its consent.

The three Egyptian sources mentioned that whereas nothing within the plan was very new, they believed it was ok to vary Trump’s thoughts and that it might be imposed on Hamas and the Palestinian Authority underneath Mahmoud Abbas.

‘NOT PLEASED’

Saudi annoyance over Gaza had already been constructing earlier than Trump’s announcement.

The dominion had repeatedly mentioned normalisation with Israel was conditional on a path to making a Palestinian state within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

That stance hardened as Saudi public anger grew on the destruction and dying in Gaza. In November, the crown prince publicly accused Israel of genocide throughout an Islamic summit and doubled down on the necessity for a two-state answer.

Frustration was working excessive within the kingdom over the continuing battle, two regional intelligence sources mentioned.

Washington appeared able to push previous Riyadh’s demand for 2 states. The day earlier than his Gaza announcement, Trump was requested whether or not a normalisation deal may go forward with out a two-state answer. He mentioned: “Saudi Arabia goes to be very useful.”

Trump’s Center East envoy Steve Witkoff had held conferences in Riyadh in late January. Two senior diplomats mentioned Witkoff laid out a three-month timeline for the normalisation course of.

However Saudi frustration rapidly became shock after which anger when Trump introduced his Gaza thought. “He isn’t happy,” a supply near the Saudi royal court docket mentioned of Prince Mohammed’s response.

The extent of anger was rapidly evident in state media broadcasts – which analysts say are sometimes a measure of official Saudi viewpoints – with tv information stories personally excoriating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“They’re outraged,” mentioned Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi analyst accustomed to official pondering, describing the temper amongst senior Saudi officers. “That is outrageous. Greater than frustration, that is on one other degree.”

Many specialists say Trump could also be utilizing an previous bargaining ploy from his diplomatic playbook, setting out an excessive place as a gap gambit for negotiations. Throughout his first time period, he usually issued what have been broadly seen as over-the-top international coverage pronouncements, a lot of which by no means got here to fruition.

Nonetheless, it has difficult the normalisation talks.

Former Saudi intelligence head Prince Turki al-Faisal, who holds no present position within the authorities, mentioned in a CNN interview final week that if Trump visited Riyadh, “I am positive he’ll get an earful from the management right here”.

Requested if he may see any prospect of normalisation talks advancing with Israel, he mentioned: “By no means”.

(Reporting by Pesha Magid in Riyadh, Samia Nakhoul in Abu Dhabi, Maha Dahan in Dubai, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Alexander Cornwell and Emily Rose in Jerusalem, Nafisa Eltahir and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, Maya Gebeily in Beirut, Marwa Rashad in London, Gram Slattery and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Writing by Angus McDowall; Modifying by Edmund Blair and David Clarke)