Muslim nations, European leaders back Arab proposal for Gaza

Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], March 9: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several European nations have backed the recently unveiled Arab plan for Gaza following 15 months of Israel's devastating war on the besieged enclave.
The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement on Saturday that they supported a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza at a cost of $53bn.
It added that Hamas "must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more" and that the four countries "support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda".
The plan was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders at an Arab League summit in Cairo this month.
Earlier on Saturday, the 57-member OIC also formally adopted the plan in an emergency meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The body, which represents the Muslim world, urged "the international community and international and regional funding institutions to swiftly provide the necessary support for the plan".
The Arab-backed plan is seen as a counterproposal to United States President Trump's suggestion the Gaza Strip be depopulated to "develop" the enclave, under US control, in what has been termed ethnic cleansing. The Arab plan consists of three major stages: Interim measures, reconstruction and governance.
The first stage would last about six months, while the next two phases would take place over a combined four to five years.
The aim is to reconstruct Gaza - which Israel has almost completely destroyed - maintain peace and security and reassert the governance of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the territory.
However, the Arab plan has already been criticised and rejected by the US and Israel.
The plan "does not meet the expectations" of Washington, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Thursday. Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, however, gave a more positive reaction, calling it a "good-faith first step from the Egyptians". (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune