Egypt Rejects Trump’s Plan to Empty Gaza

Egypt has announced the development of a comprehensive vision for the reconstruction of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, one that guarantees Palestinians the right to remain on their land. This declaration comes as a direct rebuttal to a controversial proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently suggested that two million Palestinians in Gaza be permanently relocated to Jordan, Egypt, and other nations. Egypt’s firm stance sets the stage for a diplomatic clash between American ambitions and Arab principles.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the need for a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, grounded in international law and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. While Egypt remains open to dialogue with the U.S., it made clear that any approach based on forced displacement is unacceptable. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is reportedly working on an alternative reconstruction plan, supported by other Arab nations, that prioritizes dignity and sovereignty.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has also condemned Trump’s plan, stating unequivocally that all Arab nations reject the idea of displacing Palestinians. He reiterated that the only viable path forward is the rebuilding of Gaza in a manner that respects Palestinian identity and ownership. He warned that any forced resettlement would only inflame tensions and sow instability in the region for years to come.

The United Nations has weighed in, warning that any attempt to forcibly relocate Gaza’s population would be illegal under international law and “tantamount to ethnic cleansing.” The Geneva Conventions prohibit the forced transfer of civilian populations in conflict zones. Experts argue that Trump’s proposal risks violating these statutes and undermines the global legal order.

In response to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza, Arab states have introduced a bold reconstruction proposal worth $53 billion. This plan includes rebuilding critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, power plants, and housing, while also investing in job creation and economic revitalization. Central to the plan is ensuring that Palestinians remain on their land and play a leading role in shaping Gaza’s future.

The contrast between the Arab vision and Trump’s "Riviera" dream for Gaza is stark. While the Arab proposal aims to restore dignity and stability, Trump’s plan envisions luxury hotels, ports, and investment zones—absent the very people who call Gaza home. Critics have likened it to a real estate project masked as diplomacy, with little regard for the human cost.

International legal scholars have slammed the Trump proposal, saying there is no legal precedent for forcibly depopulating a territory for redevelopment. Such measures, especially when they disproportionately target a specific ethnic group, fit the textbook definition of ethnic cleansing and violate basic human rights principles.

Human rights organizations and legal bodies around the world are calling for investigations into potential war crimes committed during the recent military campaign in Gaza. The destruction of civilian infrastructure and deliberate targeting of densely populated areas have raised serious concerns, prompting calls for accountability and justice.

Gaza’s humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Food, water, and medical supplies are scarce. Reports of widespread hunger and malnutrition are increasing. But amid the devastation, hope flickers. The united front of Arab nations and civil society groups offers a lifeline to Gaza’s besieged population.

Egypt, with its strategic position and historical role in the Palestinian cause, is seen as a key player in any peace effort. Its rejection of Trump’s plan underscores a growing determination in the Arab world to chart a path forward based on justice, not expediency. This stance is seen not just as a defense of Gaza but as a defense of Arab dignity.

Reconstruction, if guided by the Arab plan, would not only rebuild homes and schools but restore the social and cultural fabric of Gaza. It would provide jobs, strengthen local industries, and give young Palestinians a reason to hope again. It would be a declaration that Gaza belongs to its people—not foreign powers or investors.

In contrast, Trump’s plan continues to face mounting opposition. Protests have erupted across the Arab world and even within the United States, where faith groups, academics, and human rights activists have condemned the policy as inhumane and imperialist. “Gaza is not for sale,” read a protest banner in downtown Washington.

Palestinians now find themselves at a critical juncture. On one side is the threat of permanent displacement; on the other, a chance at recovery led by allies who still believe in their cause. The world must decide where it stands—alongside justice and self-determination or with those who would erase an entire people for political and economic gain.

Gaza is not just a strip of land. It is a living community with history, memory, and resistance. Any reconstruction effort that ignores this reality is doomed to fail. The future of Gaza must be written by Palestinians, not dictated from Washington boardrooms.

Egypt’s bold rejection of Trump’s plan is a reminder that principles still matter in diplomacy. It is also a call to action for the international community to support a reconstruction model that honors human dignity and the right of return.

The road ahead will not be easy. But if the Arab world stands firm and the global community listens, Gaza can rise again—not as a resort devoid of its people, but as a homeland rebuilt with pride and resilience.

History will judge this moment. It will remember who stood for justice and who stood for profit. And it will remember that the future of Gaza must belong to those who never left it.

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A new West Bank city built by a Palestinian for Palestinians

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently announced the U.S. no longer considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank in violation of international law. The surprise decision reversed four decades of American policy. It drew criticism from allies around the world and alarm from Palestinians about the prospects for peace. To get a firsthand look at the politics of peace, we went to the West Bank, an area about the size of Delaware along the Jordan River, where Palestinians have long hoped to establish a state. (more)

In the city of Ramallah, we found a businessman who isn't waiting for the Palestinian Authority and the Israelis to hammer out a path forward. He's trying to build one himself. Bashar Masri is the dreamer behind a brand new city on a hill called Rawabi. Everyone told him it was impossible but today it's the biggest construction project in modern Palestinian history and the first planned city for Palestinians in more than 1,000 years.

Women Find Summer Fun at Gaza Beach Homes

This summer, Maisara Abu Shamala, a painter, organized two trips with her friends to a vacation property she had rented. “The trips were fun,” she told Al-Monitor. “We swam the entire day without an abaya or veil. Women feel comfortable in these private rentals, which usually consist of several bedrooms, closets, a bathroom, a kitchen and a small garden with a big swimming pool for adults and another small one for children.”

Given the high demand for rental properties in summer, Abu Shamala said that it was not easy to find one in the Nuseirat camp, in central Gaza, but she eventually succeeded. “A rental property costs 400-600 shekels [$106-160] per day, and what made me think of booking one is that my husband does not allow me to go to the beach given the presence of a lot of men there,” she said. “Also, I do not like it when the wet abaya sticks to my body and becomes somewhat revealing.”

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US firm wins Palestinian City project

US management consulting firm decision/analysis partners said it has been selected to design telecom infrastructure for Rawabi, the first Palestinian planned city in the West Bank.

Decision/analysis partners, an independent management consultancy based in Northern Virginia serving governments, the private sector, and multi-lateral organizations worldwide, said the contract was awarded by Bayti Real Estate Investment Company.

Rawabi is an US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)-funded project aimed at supporting private sector development of 250-acre residential and commercial City in the West Bank.

The Virginia-based company said as per the contract, it will develop a technical design and roadmap for the deployment of its information and communications technologies (ICT) infrastructure.

Under this project, decision/analysis partners and its subcontractors will provide an assessment and forecast of needs and requirements; technical design and architecture; economic and financial analysis of options; analysis of business model alternatives; development of detailed requirements; legal and regulatory assessment; structuring of procurement activities and a preliminary environmental impact.

The study is funded by a $412,900 grant from the USTDA. The project will be led by Dr Raymond E. Barber, director of decision/analysis partners' ICT practice.

Dr Barber has successfully led similar USTDA-funded efforts in Mauritius, Indonesia, Guatemala and Romania. The study team includes a team of experts from decision/analysis partners and key staff from Polar Star Consulting of Fairfax, Virginia and CCG Facilities Integration of Baltimore, MD.

"Rawabi's ICT infrastructure is a critical factor in building its knowledge base economy," said Amir Dajani, deputy managing director of Bayti Real Estate Investment Company.

"Providing Rawabi with an advanced ICT environment will have ripple effects throughout Palestine, expanding economic activities, creating jobs, introducing new technologies in building and trade, and engaging more broadly with the global economy," he added.

Decision/analysis partners specializes in operations management, market analysis, procurement and business and technology planning for Information and Communications Technologies, the Mailing and Postal sectors, and Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

Israeli guards protecting settlers to occupy Palestinian properties and homes

Israeli forces detained three residents of the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday.

As Israeli forces fanned out around the area, six homes were declared military posts, with families either confined to the space or told to evacuate. One family reported damage to the roof of their home as heavy Israeli military equipment and several personnel arrived on top of the building, causing a minor collapse.

The area, where Israeli officials recently declared 22 homes would be demolished so a tourist center could be established, has been the site of recent clashes, which residents say were sparked by aggressive behavior of settlers who have moved into Palestinian family homes and the Israeli guards protecting them.

Makkah Metro to be partially ready for Haj

The Saudi Railway Organization has said that the first phase of the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro (Makkah Metro) project is expected to be completed before this year's Haj, Arab News has reported.

"While the entire project will be completed before the Haj season next year, the finishing of the first phase would mean that 35% of our services will be offered to the pilgrims this year itself," SRO president Abdul Aziz Al-Hoqail said. The rail network will initially link the holy sites to the Haramain Railway and other railway networks, and eventually to the Gulf Railway.

Engineering Faculty at IUG Wins the Islamic Development Bank Prize

Engineering Faculty, at IUG, has won the Islamic Development Bank Prize for sciences and technology for scientific researches institutions known for their scientific accomplishments.

Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, Islamic Bank Group President, has congratulated Engineering Faculty for winning the prize saying in a formal letter: "I would like to seize this opportunity to congratulate your university, engineering faculty and your country for that great success. I hope that this will motivate other institutions to follow your steps to develop sciences and technology."

Dr. Kamalain Sha'ath praised the Engineering Faculty, and expressed his happiness and proud of this prize saying that winning such a prize shows the Palestinian people determination and strong will despite of all the challenges and crisis.

On his turn, Prof. Shafeeq Jondya described winning the prize as the harvest of 18 years of great efforts done by the faculty. He declared that the faculty is doing its best to improve its labs, curriculums and academic staff.

Dr. Naser Farahat, Scientific Research Dean at IUG stated that the university is keen on scientific research, holding conferences and study days in order to encourage researhcers to add something new to the community.

It is worth to mention here that the IDB has established these prizes in 1422H to promote S&T excellence and capacity building in IDB member countries. Every year, three institutions are selected by an independent panel of eminent scientists from the Muslim World to receive the prize in the three categories. Each Prize consists of a cash award of US$ 100,000 and a trophy.

One day, Gaza will be the center of mud-housing architectural tourism

One year after having his house completely destroyed during Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, Majed al-Athamna has finally got a roof over his head.

The new house was smaller than the old concrete house, but the 62-year-old grandfather was very delighted to have the clay-walled dwelling.

"A clay house is better than a tent," said al-Athamna, whose new house, located in Abed Rabbo village north of the coastal enclave, is the first one rebuilt since the end of the three-week Israeli military operation on Jan. 18.

Al-Athamna, who used to be a wealthy man and now owns nothing but the clay hut, believes that the new house can be a temporary alternative to the tent, but not to his two-storey house which had sheltered his six-member family.

Al-Athamna's six sons had their houses destroyed during the offensive on Gaza too.

Israel has kept its closure on Gaza after the end of the war, making large-scale reconstruction impossible. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has built al-Athamna's house as the beginning of a project to find solutions to the most desperate cases.

The design of the 80 square meters mud-bricked house, built on a hill overlooking Israel's borders, copies the ancient traditional brick buildings with big soft domes topping the arched rooms.

"We have no other choice," said al-Athamna. "We lived in a tent for one year and it was really unbearable and humiliating."

"Now we will not suffer from the heat and humidity in summer, and the rains and cold in winter," he said, recalling "hundreds of people who still live in the open for a year."

In fact the house was built at the expense of the UNRWA, but the inventor of the mud brick construction in Gaza is an ambitious Palestinian engineer.

In an attempt to overcome the Israeli restrictions, imposed when the Islamic Hamas movement took over the territory in 2007, Emad Al Khaledi, an engineer from Gaza and owner of an idle cementbrick factory, thought about using earth resources two years ago.

"I thought of finding an alternative to cement when the Israeli blockade tightened," he said. "I tested many natural materials and finally came up with this product."

The product is a solid block, ready for construction. It is a mixture of sand, clay, calcium and water that are compressed together in one manual machine.

"After the war, the idea needed to be implemented on the ground," he proudly said. "We started to produce the bricks after the material was successfully tested."

The materials and the blocks were tested in laboratories of the Islamic University and the Engineers' Syndicate and they proved high quality within the international standards, he said.

The manual machine produces 15,000 blocks each day, he said, adding that he is working on manufacturing an automatic machine which will produce 50,000 blocks every day.

Al Khaledi, an experienced engineer by profession and mud enthusiast by choice, said his initiative progressed in high speed, especially after the war on Gaza, as thousands of people were left homeless and had to live in tents and other makeshift shelters.

"We tried to build a house and the project was a success," said Al Khaledi, referring to al-Athamna's house. "The UNRWA asked us to produce bricks to build houses for displaced people after they saw how successful our work was."

When delivering the house to al-Athamna, John Gin, director of the UNRWA's operations in Gaza, said there are "tens of thousands of people who need help now" and the building of mud houses will only benefit "a few hundred of people who are in the worst scenario."

The Israeli offensive has left about 500 families in tents and destroyed or damaged 11,152 houses, according to the Gaza-based al-Mezan center for Human Rights.

Tens of donor countries pledged more than 4.4 billion U.S. dollars to rebuild the war-torn territory in a conference held in Egypt's Sharm al-Sheikh resort last march. But nothing happened on the ground up to now because of the Palestinian internal split as well as the tight siege.

As a result of the lack of materials, Al Khaledi believes that the future lies in mud architecture. "It's cheap, strong, neat and available all the time," he said.

In a way or another, al-Athamna was lucky to get a house, even if tiny, from the UNRWA, when other hundreds of homeless Palestinians still take makeshift tents as shelters. Shehada Al Kar'awi, 43, is one of those who have been living in tents for almost one year with a wife and five children.

Kar'awi's tent is pitched in a tent camp run by an Islamic NGO, only a few meters away from his destroyed house in Biet Lahiya town, north of Gaza Strip.

Kar'awi said his family will have to face another cold winter this year, as their house has not been rebuilt so far.

Last week, the heavens opened up for one night and rainwater flooded their tent as the family desperately tried to save belongings.

His two-storey house was destroyed in an aerial strike. He said it took five years to build it with money he made from building houses in Israel when he used to work in construction there.

"I built houses for Jews who came from Morocco, Yemen, Libya, Russia and other countries around the world. I built houses for them and they finally came and demolished my house," he said, ironically smiling as he lit an Egyptian-made cigarette and sipped a hot cup of tea near his white tent.