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Arab World

Arab Ministers Finalize Gaza Reconstruction Plan Ahead of Cairo Summit

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (unssen) at the Al Tahrir palace to discuss details of the Gaza reconstruction plan, ahead of emergency Arab summit organized by Egypt this week, in Cairo, Egypt March 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (unssen) at the Al Tahrir palace to discuss details of the Gaza reconstruction plan, ahead of emergency Arab summit organized by Egypt this week, in Cairo, Egypt March 3, 2025. (Reuters)
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Arab Ministers Finalize Gaza Reconstruction Plan Ahead of Cairo Summit

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (unssen) at the Al Tahrir palace to discuss details of the Gaza reconstruction plan, ahead of emergency Arab summit organized by Egypt this week, in Cairo, Egypt March 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (unssen) at the Al Tahrir palace to discuss details of the Gaza reconstruction plan, ahead of emergency Arab summit organized by Egypt this week, in Cairo, Egypt March 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Arab foreign ministers held on Monday a preparatory meeting in Cairo to finalize an “Arab plan” for Gaza’s reconstruction without displacing its Palestinian population.

The plan for Gaza, drawn up by Egypt, would be presented to Arab leaders at Tuesday's extraordinary Arab League summit as a counter to US President Donald Trump’s plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” while forcing its Palestinian residents to relocate to Egypt and Jordan.

Arab foreign ministers met behind closed doors in Cairo ahead of the extraordinary Arab League summit, which is expected to come out with one Arab position against the displacement of Palestinians, while adopting a plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Egypt’s plan would sideline Hamas and replace it with interim bodies controlled by Arab, Muslim and Western states, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

The Egyptian vision for Gaza does not specify whether the proposal would be implemented before or after any permanent peace deal to end the war triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

Cairo's plan does not tackle critical issues such as who will foot the bill for Gaza's reconstruction or outline any specific details around how Gaza would be governed, nor how an armed group as powerful as Hamas would be pushed aside.

Under the Egyptian plan, a Governance Assistance Mission would replace the Hamas-run government in Gaza for an unspecified interim period and would be responsible for humanitarian aid and for kick-starting reconstruction of the enclave, which has been devastated by the war.

Last Saturday, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty said his country will train the Palestinian Police forces to be deployed in Gaza as part of the reconstruction plan.

Furthermore, Abdelatty highlighted Egypt's alignment with the Palestinian Authority on security and governance arrangements in Gaza.

Bilateral meetings

Abdelatty held bilateral meetings with a number of his Arab counterparts ahead of the Cairo summit.

He discussed with Palestinian Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa preparations for the summit, which will tackle the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, efforts to consolidate the ceasefire agreement and underscoring the resolute Arab stance towards the Palestinian issue.

Abdelatty also met with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.

They categorically rejected the displacement of Palestinians from their homeland and stressed the importance of regional and international solidarity to ensure the implementation of all stages of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza as a first step towards setting a clear political path aimed at reaching a radical and final settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state according to relevant international agreements and resolutions.

He also held separate meetings with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Yemeni FM Shaya Zindani, Tunisian FM Mohamed Ali Nafti and Mauritanian FM Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani arrived in Cairo on Monday to participate in the ministerial-level preparatory session.

Algeria and Tunisia’s presidents will not take part in the summit. Instead, the two countries will be represented by their foreign ministers.

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Arab World

Israeli Defense Minister: We Will Never Withdraw our Forces from Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. (dpa)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. (dpa)
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Israeli Defense Minister: We Will Never Withdraw our Forces from Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. (dpa)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. (dpa)

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel “will never withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” announcing that new settlement outposts will be established in the northern part of the enclave “when the appropriate time comes.”

Israeli media reported that Katz made the remarks during a ceremony held in Beit El, stating: “We will do this in the right way and at the right time. There will be those who protest, but we are ministers.”

Arab World

A Shaky Start for Lebanon’s Financial Gap Bill

Depositors hold protest banners against the draft deposit recovery law during popular demonstrations on the road to the Presidential Palace (Asharq Al-Awsat). 
Depositors hold protest banners against the draft deposit recovery law during popular demonstrations on the road to the Presidential Palace (Asharq Al-Awsat). 
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A Shaky Start for Lebanon’s Financial Gap Bill

Depositors hold protest banners against the draft deposit recovery law during popular demonstrations on the road to the Presidential Palace (Asharq Al-Awsat). 
Depositors hold protest banners against the draft deposit recovery law during popular demonstrations on the road to the Presidential Palace (Asharq Al-Awsat). 

A widening wave of objections in Lebanon to the draft “financial gap” bill has exposed the hurdles facing its passage in parliament.

Prepared by a ministerial and legal committee chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the bill has drawn resistance from influential political and sectoral actors, bolstering the opposition voiced by depositors’ associations and the banking lobby.

Conflicting ministerial positions ahead of Monday’s special cabinet session to review the final draft underscore the sharp disputes likely to intensify once the bill is formally sent to parliament, a senior financial official told Asharq Al-Awsat.

With parliamentary elections due next spring, candidates are wary of confronting voters or powerful interest groups.

According to the government’s forthcoming brief, the bill marks the end of years of disorder and the start of a clear path to restore rights, protect social stability, and rebuild confidence in the financial system after six years of paralysis, silent erosion of deposits, and crisis mismanagement.

It is framed not as a narrow technical fix, but as a strategic shift, from denying losses and letting them fall haphazardly, to acknowledging and organizing them within an enforceable legal framework.

The government argues the plan would protect about 85% of depositors by enabling access to a guaranteed portion of savings, up to $100,000 over four years, while preserving the nominal value of all deposits via central bank–guaranteed bonds maturing in 10, 15, and 20 years.

Banks, however, have openly declared their “fundamental reservations and strong objection” to the bill on financial regularization and deposit treatment.

Professional associations and unions have joined depositors’ groups in opposing proposals they say would load the bulk of losses onto depositors, either through direct haircuts or by stretching repayment over one to two decades.

The Beirut Order of Engineers added its voice, warning that the near-final draft manages collapse rather than delivers reform, distributing losses unfairly at the expense of depositors and productive sectors, and failing to explicitly protect union funds.

Legal objections have also surfaced over provisions with retroactive effect, taxes, levies, and accounting adjustments applied to transfers made after the crisis erupted in autumn 2019, as well as to past deposit returns.

Banks say such measures constitute an unjustified infringement of rights and lack sound legal and financial grounding or precedent.

The financial official noted that these retroactive elements could be challenged before the State Council, as they contradict the principle that laws apply only after promulgation. Most transactions, he added, were conducted under then-valid laws and central bank approvals.

By contrast, previous governments compelled the central bank to spend more than $11 billion on poorly controlled subsidies, much of which was smuggled abroad, notably to Syrian markets.

Banks insist that any credible solution must begin with a precise, transparent assessment of the financial gap at the Central Bank, based on audited, unified accounts and realistic financial modeling.

They argue that the plan effectively wipes out banks’ capital and - under loss-sharing rules set by Law 23/2025 - ultimately hits depositors, while the state avoids settling its debts to the central bank or covering its balance-sheet shortfall.

 

 

 

Arab World

Gazans Fear Renewed Displacement after Israeli Strikes

This overview shows a destroyed mosque and other buildings in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2024 on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
This overview shows a destroyed mosque and other buildings in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2024 on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Gazans Fear Renewed Displacement after Israeli Strikes

This overview shows a destroyed mosque and other buildings in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2024 on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
This overview shows a destroyed mosque and other buildings in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2024 on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

When her children, trembling with fear, ask where the family can go to escape Israel's continued bombardment in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis area, Umm Ahmed has no answer.

In her small, devastated village near Khan Yunis city, recent Israeli drone and artillery strikes shattered the tenuous sense of peace delivered by a ceasefire that has largely held since October 10, AFP said.

Residents say the strikes have targeted neighborhoods east of the so-called Yellow Line -- a demarcation established under the truce between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli military says its troops are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire framework, accusing Hamas militants of "crossing the Yellow Line and carrying out terrorist activities".

More than two years after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel sparked a devastating war, tens of thousands of Gazans still live in tents or damaged homes in these areas, where the Israeli army maintains control and operates checkpoints.

Now, many fear being forced from their homes, compelled to move west of the Yellow Line.

"We don't sleep at night because of fear. The bombardments in the east are relentless," said Umm Ahmed, 40.

"My children tremble at every explosion and ask me, 'Where can we go?' And I have no answer."

Her home in Bani Suheila has been completely destroyed, yet the family has stayed, pitching a tent beside the ruins.

"Staying close to our destroyed home is easier than facing the unknown," Umm Ahmed said.

Crossing the Yellow Line to Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Yunis, is not an option for them.

There, makeshift camps stretch as far as the eye can see, housing tens of thousands of Palestinians who fled the fighting.

"There is no place left for anyone there, and not enough food or water," Umm Ahmed said, as Gaza remains trapped in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

- 'We will not leave' -

The Israeli military blames continued threats from the Hamas group for its actions in the area.

The Israeli military said in a statement to AFP that the army’s “current operations in Gaza, and their deployment in the Yellow Line area in particular, are carried out to address direct threats from terrorist organizations in Gaza.”

The war in Gaza began with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Since the war began, more than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

The vast majority of Gaza's more than two million residents were displaced during the war, many multiple times.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October 10, though both sides regularly accuse each other of violations.

Under the truce, Israeli forces withdrew to positions east of the Yellow Line.

Earlier this month, Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir described the Yellow Line as the "new border line" with Israel.

"The Yellow Line is a new border line -- serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity," he said to reserve soldiers in Gaza.

For Palestinian officials, the line is seen as a tool for permanent displacement.

"The objective is to frighten residents, expel them from their areas, and force them west," said Alaa al-Batta, mayor of Khan Yunis, denouncing the bombardments as "violations of the ceasefire agreement".

Mahmud Baraka, 45, from Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis, described constant artillery fire and home demolitions in the area.

"It feels like we are still living in a war zone," he said.

"Explosions happen as if they are right next to us. The objective of the occupation is clear: to intimidate us and drive us out, so the region is emptied."

For now, residents feel trapped between bombardment and displacement, uncertain how long they can endure.

Despite the danger, Abdel Hamid, 70, refuses to leave his home located north of Khan Yunis, where he lives with his five children.

"We will not leave... this is our land," he said.

"Moving would not be a solution, but yet another tragedy."