Arab leaders will convene in Saudi Arabia on Friday to oppose President Donald Trump's plan for U.S. control of Gaza and the expulsion of its people, according to diplomatic and government sources.
The plan has united Arab states in opposition, but disagreements remain over who should govern Palestinian territory, ravaged by more than 15 months of genocidal attacks by Israel, and how to fund its reconstruction.
Umer Karim, an expert on Saudi foreign policy, called the summit the "most consequential" in decades for the wider Arab world and the Palestinian issue.
Trump triggered global outrage when he proposed the United States would "take over the Gaza Strip" and that its 2.4 million people would be relocated to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
A source close to the Saudi government told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Arab leaders would discuss "a reconstruction plan counter to Trump's plan for Gaza."
Meeting with Trump in Washington on Feb. 11, Jordan's King Abdullah II said Egypt would present a plan for a way forward.
The Saudi source said the talks would discuss "a version of the Egyptian plan."
The official Saudi Press Agency, citing an official, confirmed on Thursday that Egypt and Jordan were participating in the Riyadh summit along with the six country members of the Gulf Cooperation Council with the aim of "strengthening cooperation... and with regard to joint Arab action."
The agency also said decisions issued by the "unofficial fraternal meeting" in the Saudi capital would appear on the agenda of an emergency Arab League summit to be held in Egypt on March 4.
Later on Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's office said he had arrived in Saudi Arabia, also characterizing the meeting as "informal."
Previously, a Saudi source told AFP the Palestinian Authority would also take part in the talks.
The exact place and time of the Riyadh conference has not been announced.
Rebuilding Gaza will be a key issue after Trump cited reconstruction as justification for relocating its population.
Cairo has yet to announce its initiative, but former Egyptian diplomat Mohamed Hegazy outlined a plan "in three technical phases over a period of three to five years."
The first, lasting six months, would focus on "early recovery," said the member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, a think tank with strong ties to decision-making circles in Cairo.
"Heavy machinery will be brought in to remove debris, while designated safe zones will be identified within Gaza to temporarily relocate residents," Hegazy said.
The second phase would require an international conference to provide details of reconstruction and would focus on rebuilding utility infrastructure, he said.
"The final phase will oversee the urban planning of Gaza, the construction of housing units, and the provision of educational and healthcare services."
The United Nations estimated on Tuesday that rebuilding would cost more than $53 billion.
Israel's military campaign has killed nearly 50,000 people in Gaza, the majority of them children and women, according to figures from the local health authorities that the United Nations considers reliable.
The last phase would also include "launching a political track to implement the two-state solution."
Karim, the expert on Saudi policy, said the success of the plan would require "a degree of Arab unity not seen before in decades."
"The biggest challenge facing the Egyptian plan is how to finance it," an Arab diplomat familiar with Gulf affairs told AFP.
"Some countries like Kuwait will inject funds, perhaps for humanitarian reasons, but other Gulf states will set specific conditions before any financial transfer," the diplomat added.
Egypt's plan seeks to address the complex issue of post-war oversight for Gaza – which the Palestinian resistance group Hamas has controlled since 2007 – with "a Palestinian administration that is not aligned with any faction," Hegazy said.
It will comprise "experts" and will be "politically and legally subordinate to the Palestinian Authority," he added.
The Cairo initiative envisions a Palestinian Authority-affiliated police force supplemented with foreign security forces.
Differences remain, however.
Hegazy said Hamas "will retreat from the political scene in the coming period," while the Saudi source said Riyadh envisioned a Gaza Strip controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
Qatar, a key mediator in the war, insists Palestinians must decide Gaza's future.
"I think all regional actors understand that any alternative plan they propose cannot include Hamas in any form as (the) presence of Hamas will make it unpalatable for the U.S. administration and Israel," Karim said.
