Preparations are underway to secure broad participation and a united Arab front at the emergency Arab League (AL) Summit, scheduled for 4 March.
The summit, which will discuss “new and dangerous developments for the Palestinian cause”, will seek to promote an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s plans for Gaza in the form of regionally coordinated strategy that prioritises rebuilding Gaza within its current borders while keeping Palestinians in their homeland, easing the humanitarian situation and tackling the underlying causes of conflict in the Strip.
The decision to invite Syria’s new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to the summit is being seen as a major step towards rebuilding ties with the Arab world after the downfall of Bashar Al-Assad, according to the Syrian presidency.
The summit, initially scheduled to be held on Friday, was then rescheduled to 4 March following consultations with Arab League members and to allow for “substantive and logistical preparations”, said a Foreign Ministry statement.
Egypt has consistently opposed any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
Last week, in a joint press conference in Madrid, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged the international community to adopt and support plans to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing the Palestinian people from their lands.
President Al-Sisi also underlined the urgent need to implement the three-phase ceasefire agreement fully.
In remarks made during the fourth meeting of the International Alliance for Implementing the Two-State Solution last week in Cairo, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s steadfast rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians, noting that Cairo’s position was “backed by the Arab world and the broader international community”.
Abdelatty made the same point during his meeting with US Secretary-of-State Marco Rubio in Washington earlier this month.
The AL Summit will provide a platform to launch a comprehensive, multi-phase plan for Gaza’s early recovery and reconstruction. The plan, which Egypt expects to finalise this week, is expected to proritise early recovery, infrastructure rehabilitation, humanitarian aid, and revitalising the economy.
Reconstruction efforts in Gaza will require more than $50 billion, according to a new assessment by the UN, the European Union, and the World Bank.
Last week, President Al-Sisi attended an informal meeting in preparation for the AL Summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The meeting, which brought together the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members except Oman, was chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.
While no statement was made after the meeting, media reports said any relevant decisions taken would be included in the agenda of the upcoming summit.
During the seventh Conference of the Arab Parliament and Presidents of Arab Councils and Parliaments, held at the Arab League this week, Arab Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al-Yamahi highlighted the Arab Parliament’s support for Egypt’s efforts to develop a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of the Strip.
Next week’s summit is not the first emergency AL meeting in support of Gaza. In November, participants at a joint summit with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh called for the realisation of the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to an independent, sovereign state on the lines of 4 June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The OIC and AL denounced the Israeli aggression on Gaza as “barbaric and inhumane massacres by the occupation government” in the final communiqué.
The future of Gaza remains uncertain. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement continues to face obstacles and the initial six-week ceasefire period is due to end next Saturday.
Nearly 600,000 Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza.
Egypt, alongside Qatar and the United States, played a key role in brokering the Gaza ceasefire deal.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 27 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: