The Arab Summit’s Gaza plan is a step forward, but the road ahead is long

The emergency Arab Summit on Gaza reconstruction held in Cairo yesterday was a rare moment of unity in the region. The summit was convened in response to the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in order to answer the question of the “day after” the bombs stop falling on Gaza.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s proposal for Gaza’s reconstruction was the centrepiece of the discussions and offered a possibly tangible roadmap for the future. Although the plan represents an important achievement, its success will depend on navigating a minefield of geopolitical challenges, especially Israel’s intransigence and the need for US support.

The plan has already ticked several important boxes, many of which represent defensive victories against dangerous alternatives. It provides a practical and realistic framework that the international community can engage with. Unlike the vague or fragmented visions offered by other actors, including Israel and the United States, this plan actually offers a clear vision for post-war Gaza. It addresses critical issues such as governance, security and reconstruction, and ensures that the Palestinian people remain on their land while rebuilding their lives. This is a major plus, as it directly counters the Trump-Netanyahu agenda of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing, a plan that sought to resettle Palestinians outside Gaza and strip them of their land and legitimate rights.

The summit’s firm rejection of forced displacement was also very important.

This position wasn’t just rhetorical; the plan outlines a concrete vision for reconstruction, overseen by a Palestinian committee in collaboration with international actors, particularly Egypt. What does this mean? It ensures that Palestinians retain agency over their future while benefiting from international support. It also sends a clear message to the United States that Gaza can be rebuilt without displacing its population. In addition, the level of Arab unity demonstrated at the summit also strengthens the Arab position in negotiations with the US and Israel.

A very important aspect is that while the plan excludes Hamas from governance and reconstruction efforts, it does not mandate the group’s disarmament. Instead, it links discussions on Hamas’s military status to the broader goal of establishing a Palestinian state which is a pragmatic approach that already aligns with Hamas’s own position.

READ: UN chief: No future for Gaza ‘except as part of Palestinian state’

The plan has also successfully put pressure on the Palestinian Authority to commit to reforms, including holding general and presidential elections and appointing a vice president. These concessions, while broad, reflect the effectiveness of Arab diplomatic leverage and represent a step towards greater Palestinian unity and accountability. It’s a small but significant win in a region where political stagnation has often been the norm.

However, Israel’s stance remains a significant challenge to the Egyptian plan. While the plan accommodates some Israeli demands, such as excluding Hamas from governance, it does not address Israel’s insistence on retaining direct security control over Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has advocated repeatedly for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and Israel’s rejection of the Arab Summit’s communiqué underscores this. The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticised the summit’s approach, arguing that it fails to reflect the realities on the ground and omits any reference to the Hamas-led 7 October cross-border incursion. The US position will also be decisive. Given its influence over Israel, US endorsement is important, if not a prerequisite, for the plan’s success.

Further, the plan fails to articulate a concrete strategy for pressuring Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza, which has exacerbated humanitarian suffering to unprecedented levels. The current blockade has led to an alarming level of starvation and deprivation, even worse than at the peak of the genocide, as humanitarian aid and essential supplies have been cut off deliberately. Unfortunately, the summit did not address this crisis, nor did it demand that Israel provide compensation for the destruction it has caused.

On a broader strategic level, the summit fell short of presenting an offensive strategy to shift the balance of power in favour of the Palestinians.

While Arab leaders reiterated the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, they failed to propose concrete measures to put pressure on Israel, such as economic sanctions or political isolation. We all know that Israel does not respond to appeals and diplomatic rhetoric; it responds to actions that impose real consequences. Without such measures, the plan risks becoming another well-intentioned, but ultimately ineffective initiative.

The Arab states must maintain their unity and leverage their collective influence in international negotiations. They must also address the gaps in their strategy, especially the lack of concrete measures to put pressure on Israel and alleviate Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

The road ahead is long and challenging, but the Arab Summit has laid a promising foundation. With care, hope, sustained effort, strategic foresight and unwavering resolve, the region may yet find a path towards justice, stability and peace for Gaza and the Palestinian people.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.