Egypt and Spain reject Trump’s plan for Gaza
Egypt and Spain have rejected Trump’s plan for Gaza’s depopulation, calling for the international community to support a reconstruction plan “without the transfer of the Palestinian people.”
Reported by Africa News on February 20th, the two leaders met for a joint conference in Madrid to discuss mutual security concerns, including the implications of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez pointed out in a joint statement that the removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip “would be immoral and contrary to international law and United Nations resolutions,” before noting it, “would have a destabilising effect at a regional and global level.”
Egyptian President al-Sisi stressed that the Palestinians would not be willing to “relinquish” the land to which they cling to and so the reconstruction must be implemented for the Palestinians. Sánchez added, “Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and is part of a future Palestinian state,” reiterating Spain’s support for a two-state solution.
An Arab League summit is scheduled for March 4th in Cairo in which the pivotal regional leaders will discuss the reconstruction of the enclave but this statement suggests Sisi is relying on the international community to revive the peace process with the aim of establishing a separate Palestinian state, in accordance with international law.
The summit also follows the meeting between President Sisi and Ronald Lauder, the head of the World Jewish Congress on February 16th, where they discussed the need for regional stability, maintenance of the shaky ceasefire, and the facilitation of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as reported by Maghrebi.
Both leaders, in supporting a two-state solution and calling for a reconstruction plan “without the transfer of the Palestinian people,” are rejecting the proposal put forth by United States President Donald Trump. Trump’s plan involves the resettlement of the Palestinian people in neighboring Arab states so he could take over the enclave and develop a “Riviera for the Middle East,” reported by Anadolu Ajansi.
His controversial plan has been widely rejected by Palestinians, Arab countries and Western allies, with many who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing. The plan has followed the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel which took effect on January 19th after the deaths of 48,300 Palestinians, most of whom were women and children, and has left the Strip in ruins.
As Donald Trump appears to align himself with the Great Powers, returning to the early 20th century Great Power game, we wait in anticipation to see the rest of the world’s response. Whether Europe and the Arab world will develop an alternative reconstruction plan for the occupied territory remains to be seen.
Africa News, Anadolu Ajansi, Maghrebi
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