WSJ, Feb. 12, 2025
“For the Arab world, recognizing that Trump actually means what he says in terms of Gaza means the necessity of coming up with an alternative to push forward.”
Egypt has launched a diplomatic blitz to corral support for an Arab-led and funded initiative to rebuild the Gaza Strip, setting aside old political concerns in hopes of boxing out a Trump plan that is wildly unpopular across the Arab world.
The efforts show how President Trump’s surprise proposal for the U.S. to take over Gaza and redevelop it as an international destination—while its Palestinian population is moved out—has upended the positions of major players in the region toward the 16-month war between Israel and Hamas.
Arab states that had once hoped to use their funding capacity to push for a Palestinian state are now under pressure to prevent a mass displacement of Gazans that could destabilize any countries pressed to take them in…. SOURCE