The Emergency Arab Summit was held in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Tuesday, March 4, to discuss Gaza reconstruction plans after the United States and Israel revealed their intention to displace Palestinians in Gaza to other Arab countries, namely Egypt and Jordan.
At the end of the summit, Arab leaders adopted Egypt’s proposal for the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza, which would cost USD 53 billion and last for five years, without displacing its people. The proposal also emphasizes that the core principles of the Palestinian cause should remain intact.
“We, the leaders of the Arab nations, are acutely aware of the critical situation in our region, particularly concerning the Palestinian cause. Palestine remains a central issue for the Arab world and all nations striving for peace, justice, rights, and freedom,” the final communiqué of the summit read.
“We reaffirm our united stance against attempts to undermine the rights of the Palestinian people, and we continue to support ending the historical injustice they face in pursuit of a just peace. We respect the enduring struggle and acknowledge the legendary resilience of the Palestinian people throughout fifteen months of aggression and inhumane policies,” the communiqué added.
The summit called for the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces to Gaza and the occupied West Bank, while Jordan and Egypt pledged to train a Palestinian police force and deploy it to the Gaza strip. In addition, Arab leaders highlighted the need to boycott Israel commercially and politically.
Arab leaders recommended forming a committee of independent Palestinian technocrats operating under the management of the Palestinian Authority (PA) during a six-month interim period, to clear the rubble from Salah al-Din Street, which is the main north-south highway in the Gaza Strip.
The proposed plan excludes Hamas from governing post-war Gaza, but did not indicate the disarmament of the military wing of the movement inside the besieged strip.
Hamas welcomes the Arab Summit’s proposals with reservations on the deployment of international forces
A few hours before the Arab summit was held, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem announced that the movement will not be part of any administrative arrangements in post-war Gaza on the condition of internal national consensus.
“Any arrangements for Gaza’s future after the (Israeli) aggression must be based on national consensus, and we will facilitate this,” Qassem told Türkiye’s state-run agency Anadolu Ajansı.
“It is not necessary for Hamas to be part of the administrative arrangements in Gaza. It is not interested in that, and does not want to be in these arrangements at all,” he added.
After the final communiqué of the summit was published, Hamas welcomed the proposal adopted by Arab leaders. The movement considered the summit as “a significant step toward Arab and Islamic alignment with the Palestinian cause.
Hamas hailed the heads of Arab states for rejecting the attempts to displace Palestinians and undermine their national cause. It also welcomed their call to boycott Israel commercially and politically, considering it a “highly effective strategic move to isolate Israel and pressure it into complying with international law.”
Although Hamas showed its satisfaction with the outcomes of the summit, it stressed that consultations that include all Palestinian factions should be held before accepting the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Demilitarization is a “red line”: says Hamas
Despite its willingness to concede political power in Gaza, Hamas insists on maintaining armed resistance, which is the core foundational concept of the movement.
Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, said in a press conference on Tuesday, March 4, that Israel demands the “full demilitarization” of the Gaza strip and removal of Hamas to move to the second phase of the ceasefire deal.
Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, responded to Saar’s statements by saying that disarmament is a “red line” for all resistance groups in the besieged enclave.
“Any talk about the resistance’s weapons is nonsense. The resistance’s weapons are a red line for Hamas and all resistance factions,” Zuhri said.
UAE-backed Mohammad Dahlan brought to the fore after prolonged isolation from the Palestinian political scene
According to analysts, the Emergency Arab Summit revealed the ambitions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to have greater clout in the Gaza strip and maybe in the occupied West Bank as well.
The name of exiled and controversial Palestinian politician, Mohammad Dahlan – often called the UAE’s invisible Palestinian hand – was not explicitly mentioned during the Arab Summit. However, he became a focal point of analysis after PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced a general amnesty for all dismissed members of the Fatah movement.
“In our commitment to the unity of the Fatah movement, we have decided to grant a general amnesty to all dismissed members of Fatah.” Abbas said.
The statement was seen as primarily an amnesty to Dahlan, who has recently been considered by the US, Israel and some allied Arab countries for overseeing post-war Gaza.
In June, 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that some US, Israeli and Arab officials are advocating for the empowerment of Mohammad Dahlan, the former Palestinian security chief who once tried to crush Hamas. Exiled by Mahmoud Abbas from the West Bank in 2011, Dahlan now lives in luxury in the UAE’s capital of Abu Dhabi.
It is believed that Abbas’s statements unveiled the immense pressure exerted by Arab states, primarily the UAE, to impose Dahlan as the next leader of the PA. Abbas also stated during the summit that he would create a vice-president position in his government.
The Palestinian president added that the PA is prepared to hold “legislative elections next year, provided that the appropriate conditions are met in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.”
It is suggested that Arab states are using the fund, which will be granted for the reconstruction of Gaza, as a tool of pressure, and that this may have pushed Abbas to eventually acquiesce their desire regarding Dahlan.
The US and Israel reject Gaza’s reconstruction proposal adopted by Arab leaders
Meanwhile, the United States and Israel rejected the Gaza reconstruction plan proposed by Arab leaders as it recommended rebuilding the massively devastated enclave without displacing Palestinians, which counters Trump’s proposal to transform the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The US National Security Council spokesman, Brian Hughes, said that “the current proposal does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance.”
Brian emphasized that Donald Trump is committed to his reconstruction plan which aims at the expulsion of Hamas from the Gaza strip, while he is seeking “further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”
Meanwhile Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that the statements from the Arab summit “failed to address the realities of the situation” following Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
US holds secret talks with Hamas?
Despite its hatchet job against Hamas and its pledge to support Israel in eradicating the resistance movement, the Trump’s administration has been holding direct secret talks with Hamas over the release of US captives held in Gaza, according to a report published by Axios on Wednesday, March 5.
The talks would address the possibility of a broader deal to end the war between Hamas and Israel, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told Axios.
While the US has been engaged in “unprecedented talks” with the resistance group, Trump issued on Wednesday what he called a “last warning” to Hamas and Gaza residents to release the remaining captives held since October 7, 2023 in the besieged strip.
“‘Shalom Hamas’ means hello and goodbye – you can choose,” “Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is over for you,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Threatening the Palestinians in Gaza, the US president added: “Also, to the people of Gaza: a beautiful future awaits, but not if you hold hostages. If you do, you are dead.”
However, the contradiction between Trump’s statements and actions regarding Hamas, is yet another sign that Israel and the US have not been able to subjugate Hamas despite their recurrent threats to eradicate the movement with a potential resumption of the war.
