US Envoy Calls Egypt’s Gaza Reconstruction Plan ‘Good-faith First Step’
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff commended Thursday Egypt for coming up with a new plan on the Gaza Strip, without endorsing details of the Arab alternative to US President Donald Trump’s proposals to displace Palestinians out of their homeland.
“We need more discussion about it, but it’s a good-faith first step from the Egyptians,” the US envoy told reporters.
Additonally, Witkoff said Trump had succeeded in “now encouraging other people in the Middle East — Middle Eastern world — to present proactive proposals for what we might consider,” he said.
The summit, held in Cairo on Tuesday, firmly rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, stressing support for the Egyptian response to Trump’s colonialist proposal in Gaza.
The Egyptian plan for Gaza reconstruction, adopted by the Cairo Extraordinary Arab Summit, serves as a unified Arab response to Trump’s plan to take over Gaza, displace its population, and eventually transform it into a “Middle East Riviera.”
The Arab plan aims to facilitate early recovery and long-term reconstruction efforts led by Palestinians, focusing on restoring essential facilities and infrastructure, addressing humanitarian needs, and ensuring sustainable development.
It also calls for the formation of a non-partisan Palestinian technocratic committee to govern Gaza, as well as enabling the Palestinian Authority to regain supervision over the Strip.
Later, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters the proposed deal “does not fulfill the requirements, the nature, of what President Trump was asking for.”
