OPINION:
As Arab states scurry to devise a plan for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, ideas are being floated to counter President Trump’s proposal to relocate millions of Gaza residents and for the U.S. to take control of the territory. This week, Egypt is scheduled to announce its plan, and former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has suggested that Cairo (re)take control of Gaza. Numerous other ideas are also being floated. The condominiumization of Gaza is the one that can work.
Arab leaders met recently in Saudi Arabia and estimated the cost of rebuilding Gaza at $20 to more than $50 billion. In addition to rebuilding, which is essential, there is discussion about who will be in control: If not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which are inept and corrupt terrorist entities, who will be in control? It’s jarring that, after decades of no Arab states wanting to take responsibility for Gaza or the well-being of the Gaza residents, now they are taking the interest they are.
Will the Saudis take control? Will the Qataris, who have been funneling billions of dollars to prop up Hamas against the interests of the actual Gaza residents, take control of their protectorate? Will the United Arab Emirates create another emirate and try to export its more moderate Islam to a place marked by a century of jihadism? Will Jordan and Egypt do anything possible to prevent the relocation of millions of Gaza residents to their countries and risk their destabilization?
Can any of them be reliable and effective on their own, much less trusted not to let jihadi Islam continue to spread its roots and deadly terrorist infrastructure?
Having invested billions into a failed Gaza and Palestinian Authority for decades, Arab and Islamic states have two choices: to cut their losses and run, or to double down and invest more to build it as it could have been. Either way, Gaza needs to be rebuilt. The question is whether, in doing so, the jihadis will remain in control and Gaza will remain the epicenter of death and destruction for decades to come.
To prevent continued radicalization, it’s essential to get beyond decades of hate to build a prosperous, thriving and peaceful Gaza. What’s needed is the condominiumization of Gaza.
The plan is like this: Gaza will be divided into quadrants where existing clans dominate. A different Arab or Islamic country will take responsibility for that quadrant to rebuild cities and towns, provide housing for all with a vision for the future, and provide schools, hospitals, community centers, transportation, nutrition and education. Each entity will have a degree of independence and self-sufficiency, competing indirectly to build the most prosperous and peaceful sector, driving investments to propel their prosperity.
Each entity will provide security and law enforcement, which, of course, will be in its own interests. Each adjacent entity will also require the others to maintain security and law enforcement to prevent problems from spilling over, making each responsible for the others: the United Arab Emirates of Gaza.
Funding Gaza’s rebuild will come from the Arab and Islamic countries anyway, along with the U.S., the European Union, the United Nations and others, no matter the plan or who is in control. However, without a viable plan such as this, one that envisions a rebuilt Gaza without being the source of violence that will make its re-destruction an inevitability, some may pay only lip service to rebuilding Gaza rather than actually paying the bills.
Of course, they would be right to withhold any further investment if there is any sense that without eradicating jihadism in 10, 15 or 20 years, Gaza will just be hijacked by terrorists again and destroyed again in war.
One of the reasons no one Arab or Islamic state can take responsibility on its own is that so many have played corrupting roles in Gaza. Jordan’s king and queen have raised the level of anti-Israel rhetoric to new heights. Egypt has facilitated or blindly allowed the smuggling of most of Hamas’ weapons. Qatar is Hamas’ sugar daddy, funding and broadcasting unbridled jihadism around the world.
Saudi Arabia is unclear whether it will be the anchor of blind support for Gaza against its own interests or come out of the closet and embrace normalization with Israel. While moderating forces in the Arab world, Bahrain and the UAE will unlikely take responsibility alone or be involved without realistic guarantees of not delving into an Islamic abyss.
Israel cannot entrust countries with nefarious intentions to be involved at all. Nobody wants or needs a rebuild and continued enabling of a vast network of terrorism. Not Israel, not the Gaza residents and not the rest of the world. That means that only countries with full diplomatic relations with Israel can be among those that undertake responsibility for one of the rebuilt Gazan emirates. Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and the UAE can participate. Not wanting to be left out, perhaps this will be the catalyst for the Saudis to establish full relations with Israel. Beyond the Arab states, this could be the opportunity for Islamic countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia — about which it’s been suggested that they would be ready to establish full relations with Israel — to break the ice for their own interests and to have a share in the Gaza rebuild. Azerbaijan could join too.
The Arab and Islamic states cannot trust one another alone, and they would not want to cede authority or opportunities to one another.
New civilizations have been built on the rubble of previous ones for millennia. Gaza uniquely affords that opportunity. Unlike floating plans for restoring Gaza, it’s time to sink the remains of pre-Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza in the Mediterranean. Upon this, hundreds of millions of tons of rubble and new islands can be created, not unlike the man-made islands in the UAE and upon which seafront properties, ports and tourism can be established.
There will be no finer example of building the future of Gaza on the ruins of its jihadi past. Coupled with the solution for peace in Gaza as a pillar to change the hearts of Palestinians, the condominiumization of Gaza is the key to a successful, prosperous and peaceful rebuild.
• Jonathan Feldstein was born and educated in the U.S. and migrated to Israel in 2004. He has a three-decade career in nonprofit fundraising and marketing, and throughout his life and career, he has become a respected bridge between Jews and Christians. He writes regularly about Israel and shares his experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He can be reached at FirstPersonIsrael@gmail.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.