What’s the emergency Arab summit on Gaza reconstruction? Everything to know

Arab League members will meet in Cairo on March 4 to counter the United States president’s threats to take over Gaza, expelling Palestinians from their land, and the Israeli prime minister’s willingness to destroy the ceasefire and resume a genocidal war on Gaza.

The summit, convened by Egypt, is intended to come up with a united Arab response that offers an alternative that respects Palestinians’ rights and makes Gaza habitable again.

Here’s what led to this emergency summit and what we can expect from it.

What led to this emergency summit?

On February 5, US President Donald Trump said he wanted to “take over” Gaza, resettle Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan, and implement a “redevelopment plan” that would turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

Egypt rejected the idea and said it would present “a comprehensive vision for rebuilding Gaza while ensuring Palestinians remain”, and that it would host an Arab summit to discuss the vision.

On February 21, Egypt, Jordan and the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries gathered in Riyadh to prepare the agenda for Tuesday’s summit in Cairo.

What’s happening in Gaza now?

Early on Sunday, the second day of Ramadan, Israel blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid to Gaza, claiming that Hamas is “in violation” of a last-minute US suggestion to extend the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza throughout Ramadan and Passover.

Israel had effectively blocked negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire – which was supposed to start on March 1 – because that would have entailed it withdrawing its troops from Gaza.

Hamas had already rejected extending phase one in a statement, demanding that Israel comply with the ceasefire deal and calling on the international community to help apply pressure.

On January 19, a ceasefire started in the Gaza Strip after 15 months of intense killing and bombardment. The agreement involved a cessation of hostilities and progressive three phases to lead to a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

What will be discussed on March 4?

Elaborating on the plan, former Egyptian diplomat Mohamed Hegazy said it would likely cover three to five years, split into three technical phases:

1. early recovery;
2. rebuilding the utility infrastructure; and
3. housing reconstruction, service provision and establishing a “political track to implement the two-state solution”.

Experts say the difficulty with Egypt’s plan lies in financing it, with the United Nations recently saying more than $50bn would be needed to rebuild Gaza.

This will be discussed at the summit. Many assume that the GCC countries will play a leading role in financing reconstruction, but there is no clarity on how much can be raised.

What are countries expected to bring to the discussion?

Egypt has been trying to mobilise Arab and international support for its Gaza plan, and as the convener of the summit and author of the reconstruction plan, it will lead much of the discussion.

Jordan will be an important player, its King Abdullah II having rejected any displacement and supporting Egypt’s proposal. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has also warned Israel against escalating tensions in the occupied West Bank, which shares a border with Jordan.

Syria is expected to discuss Israeli air attacks on “targets” in its south and outside Damascus.

GCC countries will be key, especially with regard to securing the funding and goodwill to implement the Egyptian idea.

Have past Arab summits made a difference in the Israel-Palestine conflict?

Some Arab League summits have been symbolically important in the history of the Palestinian cause.

The Palestinian National Council, which set up the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), was established by an Arab League summit in 1964.

Ten years later, another summit recognised the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people, elevating its diplomatic weight in the peace negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords.

In 2002, led by Saudi Arabia, a summit embraced the Arab Peace Initiative after the failure of Oslo.

They agreed to normalise with Israel if it withdrew to pre-1967 borders, allowed the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and provided a just solution for Palestinian refugees.

As for reconstruction, an Arab summit in 2014 pledged $5.4bn to reconstruct Gaza after Israel waged a 50-day war on it.

What happens after the summit?

After Arab countries agree on their position and plan to lead post-war reconstruction efforts in Gaza, more talks are expected to tackle specific financial and logistical aspects.

However, with the Gaza ceasefire up in the air – as well as the fate of the Palestinians who may starve to death in the besieged enclave – reconstruction may have to be put on the backburner while the main mediators Qatar and Egypt try to ensure that Israel’s war on Gaza will not resume.