Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump shared a video on social media, which quickly became word of mouth.
Made with generative artificial intelligence, it was characterized by Trump’s clear vision for the future of the Gaza Strip. This includes a giant golden Trump statue, Elon Musk and Palestinian children throwing dollar bills into the air, Trump himself shook his bare chest at a beach resort, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side. The accompanying soundtrack includes the lyrics, “There’s no more tunnels, no more horrible, Trump Gaza is finally here.”
The video follows Trump’s proposal that the US should take over the coastal enclave and turn it into a “Middle Eastern Riviera.” Trump’s plans include relocating around 2 million Palestinians to other countries, most likely in Egypt and Jordan. The idea sparked international outrage, and the United Nations said such steps could be considered ethnic cleansing.
The AI-created clips not only ignore the suffering of Palestinians, but also sparked rage as they reminded Trump’s “Riviera” plan once again in an era where more realistic alternatives are needed.
More than a year after the conflict, more than 60% of Gaza buildings were destroyed during an Israeli military operation that retaliated for an attack by the Gaza-based extremist group Hamas on October 7, 2023. The attack killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 people in Gaza. The resulting Israeli Army operations have killed approximately 48,000 people in Gaza.
A recent report estimates that the World Bank will need $53.2 billion (EUR 5.1 billion) to recover and rebuild Gaza over a decade, and that it needs to recover the services needed to rebuild infrastructure and support economic recovery over the first three years.
Joint Arab Plans to Counter the Riviera Proposal
Egypt says these assessments will be taken into consideration when the Arab League meets for the Gaza Emergency Summit held in Cairo on March 4th.
“Egypt is very clearly aiming to present an alternative plan to Trump’s proposal in Gaza,” Ricardo Fabiani, director of the North Africa Project at the international crisis group think tank, told DW. “The two principles of Gaza’s Arab joint reconstruction proposal are future political strategies based on two state solutions and do not suggest the movement of local Palestinians.”
What options do Arab countries have?
Plans attributable to the March 4th summit face limitations. “There are not many options that Americans and Israelis would be considered acceptable,” explained Fabiani.
Israel has repeatedly said it does not support the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
“Arab leaders will also propose to establish a technocrat committee to oversee reconstruction efforts,” Fabiani continued. But such committees of engineers, architects, economists and planners also need to be accepted by Hamas, the official authorities of Gaza.
“For Egyptians, Hamas is not directly involved, but consultations about Gaza’s reconstruction efforts will be key,” Fabiani said.
Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, considers the Arab co-proposition “a very strong idea in theory.”
“We will help the Arab world to normalize the relationship (between Israel and Saudi Arabia) when it is behind certain proposals that will help us rebuild in Gaza. We will help to build a region where this issue will ultimately be placed behind us,” he told DW.
But in reality, he adds, there are all sorts of barriers. “Number One: The US President himself is notoriously unpredictable, and there will still be real opposition among Israeli allies within the US government,” Brown said. “Secondly, Israel is an incredible obstacle here.”
Brown argues that “any type of Arab initiative based on treating Palestinians as national entities must be able to persuade any of Israeli public opinion.” Or Brown insists that they must convince the United States to put strong pressure on Israel.
“Finally, there are internal obstacles in the Arab world,” he says. “These countries were unable to define and pursue strategic goals,” Brown told DW.
The ray of hope?
Despite these odds, the current situation may prove to be an opportunity. Sigrid Karg, newly appointed special coordinator of the UN Middle East peace process, told the UN Security Council this week it could be “the last chance to achieve a solution for the two states.”
The first phase of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ends on March 1, with details of the next phase being explained. Kaag called on both sides to avoid returning to war at any cost.
Given the Arab League’s emergency summit soon after, Cairo could use momentum to propose a two-stage approach on March 4th, International Crisis Group Fabiani told DW.
“Given the lack of clarity regarding the room for compromise and the room for maneuvering, Egyptians believe that first can prioritize reconstruction and political processes. It will ultimately end with the constitution of the Palestinian state alongside Israel – second,” he concluded.
Edited by Cathrin Schaer
