March 4, 2025 (EIRNS)—A group of Arab countries met in Cairo on Tuesday, March 4, to discuss an alternative to President Donald Trump’s “Riviera Plan” for Gaza, one which would not foresee the forced relocation of Palestinians. After a month of preparations in order to pull together a unified Arab world around a single proposal for the reconstruction of Gaza, the delegates approved the Egyptian proposal in their final communiqué.
A preliminary look at the proposal shows that it is expected to take five years and cost $53 billion, and be carried out in three phases. It envisions that Gaza, reconstructed to accommodate some 3 million people, will be divided into five main sectors, each organized around a specific focus: Rafah as a Logistics Center; Khan Younis as a Science and Knowledge Center; Deir Al-Balah as an Al-Salam (peace) Center; Gaza as the Government Headquarters; and North Gaza as a Cultural Center. It is focused on rebuilding Gaza’s housing, essential services, and infrastructure, as well as creating an economy that can see Gaza grow and prosper into the future.
Funding is not yet secured, but the plan seeks to have funding from the UN, international financial institutions, individual donor countries, development banks, and foreign direct investment. The plan insists on a two-state solution as well.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said at the summit Tuesday that he was certain U.S. President Trump would be able to achieve peace, reported Reuters, and that Egypt had worked in cooperation with Palestinians on creating a post-war governance structure for Gaza. At a later time, the Palestinian Authority will then return to govern, el-Sisi said. Reuters claimed that Hamas released a statement endorsing the Egyptian proposal.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said at the summit that he welcomed the Egyptian idea and would be ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections when the occasion allowed—a comment that Hamas also reportedly welcomed.
While there is still much to be desired in the current Egyptian proposal as compared to the needed broader regional plan as envisioned in Lyndon LaRouche’s Oasis Plan, which would bring in rivers of freshwater and make the deserts bloom throughout West Asia, it is a major step forward and represents a qualitatively different perspective than the Netanyahu plan of ethnic cleansing or Trump’s “Riviera” for anyone other than Gazans.
