Loading ...How Should the Arab States Respond to Trump's Plan for Gaza?
By: Ghassan Rubeiz / Arab America Contributing Writer
Trump’s hubristic plan to forcibly remove the people of Gaza to neighboring countries has drawn widespread rejection from Palestinians, the Arab world, and the international community. Even within Israel, there is some opposition to forced Palestinian displacement.
Trump’s threat to push Palestinians out of Palestine appears designed to pressure Arab states not only to curb Hamas’s power but also to discourage any support for Palestinian resistance. His strategy may have succeeded in forcing Arabs to articulate their position on Gaza’s future and Hamas’s role. Egypt and Jordan will meet with Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab Gulf States in Riyadh on February 21 to discuss Washington’s plan, followed by another Arab meeting a week later in Saudi Arabia again. The Arab League, comprising 22 Arab states, will evaluate the four-nation proposal on February 27th. Saudi Arabia and the UAE may offer to finance Gaza’s rebuilding, while Egypt and Jordan could provide technical and operational support for the Arab world’s eventual plan.
According to an Israeli source, a Palestinian plan recommends sidelining Hamas and rebuilding Gaza while its people stay in place. The plan was handed to Egyptian officials early this week and will be formally submitted to the Arab League. It proposes reconstruction of housing and infrastructure over five years, and involves Palestinian labor with Egyptian participation.
Netanyahu’s extreme-right cabinet is unlikely to accept an Arab League proposal that does not involve disarming Hamas. Emboldened by his warm reception in Washington in early February, Netanyahu operates from a position of strength, dismissing both Palestinian and Arab concerns while presuming maximal Arab weakness.
President Trump, true to form, is claiming a near-miraculous ability not just to resolve the sprawling conflict in the Middle East but also to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. US State Secretary Marco Rubio was in the Middle East earlier this week to push Trump’s plans for both Gaza and Ukraine. Of all places, Putin and Trump’s representatives have chosen to meet in Riyadh to discuss ending the Ukraine conflict on February 18. This cavalier approach to two thorny conflicts on two separate continents is the epitome of colonial overreach.
Israel will likely reject any Arab plan asserting Gazans’ right to rebuild on their land and their terms. This forces the hand of the Arab League: it cannot strongly condemn Hamas’s brutal October 7th attack without addressing Israel’s primary role in perpetuating regional instability through its enduring and expanding occupation that keeps Palestinians oppressed and primed for resistance.
Without an imminent change in Israeli leadership, Gaza’s war will likely continue even after hostage exchanges conclude. As the war continues, it may reactivate Israeli confrontation with Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The recent collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria and the diplomatic rapprochement between Iran and Arab Gulf states could enable the formation of a regional bloc to counter Israeli occupation and foster lasting, comprehensive peace. Until and unless the Arab states act as a unified bloc, the US will continue to intimidate their leaders.
The Arab League must remind Trump that Arab leaders prioritize political security over economic incentives. No amount of US aid can replace national dignity, legitimacy, and sovereignty. Washington needs to understand that US military presence in the Arab world cannot be guaranteed if Israel continues annexing Arab land on alleged security grounds. Netanyahu cannot expect to maintain the existing peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan — much less expand the Abraham Accords — while perpetrating war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel cannot simultaneously wage a criminal war and pursue an artificial peace.
Trump should recognize that pressuring Israel is more rational than forcing Palestinians to accept humiliation. His attempt to subdue Palestinians and humiliate the entire Arab world through ethnic cleansing is not only morally repugnant, but it’s also very unlikely to succeed. The upcoming Saudi Arabia meetings could transform the Middle East for better or worse. One thing is for sure: lasting peace requires Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and negotiations establishing the foundations of both Israeli security and Palestinian freedom.
Ghassan Rubeiz is the former Middle East Secretary of the World Council of Churches. Earlier, he taught psychology and social work in his country of birth, Lebanon, and later in the United States, where he currently lives. For the past twenty years, he has contributed to political commentary and delivered occasional public talks on peace, justice, and interfaith subjects. You can reach him at rubeizg@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Arab America. The reproduction of this article is permissible with proper credit to Arab America and the author.
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