By Jana Choukeir and Muhammad Al Gebaly
DUBAI (Reuters) – Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Sunday the Egyptian Gaza reconstruction plan, that ensures Palestinians remain in their land, is ready and will be presented to the emergency Arab summit on March 4.
Arab states who were swift to reject President Donald Trump’s plan for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and resettle Palestinians are scrambling to agree on a diplomatic offensive to counter the idea.
Trump’s plan, announced on February 4 during a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, has infuriated Palestinians and Arab countries and upended decades of U.S. diplomacy focused on a two-state solution.
The Egyptian counter reconstruction plan, according to Abdelatty, will not be purely Egyptian or Arab but will gain international support and funding to ensure its successful implementation.
“We will hold intensive talks with major donor countries once the plan is adopted at the upcoming Arab Summit,” Abdelatty said in a presser with the European Union Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica.
Abdelatty said Europe’s role, especially in the economic aspect of rebuilding the war-torn enclave, is critical.
Asked about the second phase of the ceasefire deal, Abdelatty said Egypt will continue its intensive efforts to ensure the ceasefire is maintained and negotiations for the second phase can begin.
He stressed the importance of safely executing the ceasefire agreement signed in January, emphasizing its commitment to ensuring its proper implementation.
“The first phase has concluded successfully, and now we must shift to discussions on the second phase, which is key to sustaining the ceasefire,” he said.
“Naturally, it will be difficult, but with goodwill and political determination, it can be achieved.”
Abdelatty said that following the emergency Arab Summit, there will be an urgent ministerial meeting in Saudi Arabia for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, where foreign ministers will push for the summit’s outcomes to be presented globally.
“We will ensure that the results of the Arab summit are presented to the world in the best possible way,” Abdelatty added.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Muhammad Al Gebaly;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
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