Egypt says Gaza reconstruction plan ready, pushes efforts for ceasefire’s second phase
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Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the plan will be presented to the emergency Arab summit on March 4.
PHOTO: REUTERS
DUBAI - Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on March 2 the Egyptian Gaza reconstruction plan that ensures Palestinians remain in their land is ready and will be presented to the emergency Arab summit on March 4.
Arab states who were swift to reject President Donald Trump's plan for the US to take control of Gaza
Mr Trump's plan, announced on Feb 4 during a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, has infuriated Palestinians and Arab countries and upended decades of US diplomacy focused on a two-state solution.
The Egyptian counter reconstruction plan, according to Mr Abdelatty, will not be purely Egyptian or Arab but will gain international support and funding to ensure its successful implementation.
“We will hold intensive talks with major donor countries once the plan is adopted at the upcoming Arab Summit,” he said in a presser with the European Union Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica.
Israel on March 2 blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza as a stand-off over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated. Mr Abdelatty said the use of aid as a weapon of collective punishment could not be permitted.
Mr Abdelatty said Europe’s role, especially in the economic aspect of rebuilding the war-torn enclave, is critical.
Asked about the second phase of the ceasefire deal, he said Egypt will continue its intensive efforts to ensure the ceasefire is maintained and negotiations for the second phase can begin.
He stressed the importance of safely executing the ceasefire agreement signed in January, emphasising its commitment to ensuring its proper implementation.
“The first phase has concluded successfully, and now we must shift to discussions on the second phase, which is key to sustaining the ceasefire,” he said.
“Naturally, it will be difficult, but with goodwill and political determination, it can be achieved.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said earlier that it had adopted a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza for the Ramadan and Passover periods.
Mr Abdelatty said that following the emergency Arab Summit, there will be an urgent ministerial meeting in Saudi Arabia for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, where foreign ministers will push for the summit's outcomes to be presented globally.
“We will ensure that the results of the Arab summit are presented to the world in the best possible way,” he added. REUTERS
