President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, Paris, in June 2023 [Getty]
Egypt is intensifying diplomatic efforts to push back against Donald Trump‘s controversial proposal to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza, a plan that has sparked widespread regional alarm.
Cairo is engaging with Arab and European nations to organise an international conference focused on Gaza’s reconstruction, according to pan-Arab media reports.
The country is putting together a rival plan to reconstruct the shattered territory, an effort that it hopes will convince Trump to drop his controversial plan which regional officials warn will set the region on fire.
In a shock announcement last week, the president declared that the US would occupy Gaza after the war and redevelop it into a luxury international tourist destination.
He has continued to raise pressure on Egypt and Jordan to permanently resettle millions of Palestinians, despite both countries rejecting the idea as a major national security red line.
Egypt has responded by trying to rally its Arab allies to present a unified front and drawing up a “comprehensive vision” to rebuild the war-torn enclave without displacing its 2.2 million inhabitants.
According to early details of the plan shared with Al Arabiya channel, Egypt envisions the creation of a number of safe zones within the first six months.
In these areas, the rubble would be cleared and hospitals and schools would be set up, enabling residents to return. New housing units would be built within 18 months.
The plan will see 24 international companies and 18 consulting firms participate in the process with Arab and European support, according to the Saudi news outlet’s sources.
No details were provided about how the reconstruction effort will be funded or which countries will participate in the conference.
The reconstruction plan is expected to be discussed at the emergency Arab League meeting on 27 February.
Diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE will also hold a five-way summit ahead of the Arab League gathering, reports said on Wednesday.
The Trump administration’s behaviour has put it on a collision course with two of the US’ closest allies in the region. Both countries have refused to change their position despite the president threatening to withhold billions of dollars in aid.
Senior Egyptian officials have described their ties with Washington as at their most strained in three decades. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is reportedly threatening to cancel an invitation to the White House if Palestinian displacement remains on the agenda.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has also repeatedly refused to cooperate with Trump’s Gaza plan, and reiterated the message during face-to-face talks with the US president in Washington this week.
Trump has shown no signs of backing down on his plan to take over the strip, telling reporters ahead of his meeting the king that “we’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it”.
