Trump’s Push for Gulf to Pay For Rebuilding Gaza Faces Hurdles

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Abu Dhabi wants to first see the full disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from any future governance role of Gaza as well as a complete overhaul of the Palestinian Authority, according to a senior UAE official.

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Qatar, which has hosted Hamas officials in Doha for more than a decade and been a key mediator in Gaza peace negotiations, is focused on making sure Israel will implement its part of the peace deal before it puts any money into rebuilding the territory, according to people with knowledge of Doha’s thinking.

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Qatar and other Arab states accept the exclusion of Hamas from the temporary leadership of Gaza as stated in Trump’s plan, which they all supported. Still, some officials from the region argue it’s impossible to fully exclude Hamas from Palestinian political life and a more realistic option is to consider what role a reformed entity might have in the future, according to a senior Arab official involved in the crafting of Trump’s plan.

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The Saudi, Qatari and UAE governments didn’t respond to requests for comment for the article.

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Hamas’s involvement on any level is a red line for Israel and the US, and there’s no sign of them changing their stance given the brutality of the group’s attack on Israel in October 2023.

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The militant group, designated a terrorist organization by the US and many others, still controls almost half of Gaza. US Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner discussed a plan last week to divide the territory into two zones, with reconstruction only starting on the Israeli-controlled side. That proposal is in the early stages of development and may not come to fruition.

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Influence and a Say 

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Trump will probably look to Qatar to provide a significant portion of Gaza reconstruction funding, according to Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa practice at Eurasia Group.

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The US leader gave Doha a security guarantee earlier this month, strengthening ties between the two countries, but Qatar would still require trade offs. 

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“Qatar wants influence and a say in Gaza whether through a semi-disarmed Hamas, a completely disarmed political Hamas or something else,” Maksad said. “That’s going to be problematic for Israel.”

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Gulf states “all agree they won’t put money into Gaza unless they are first sure this won’t happen again,” said Yasmine Farouk, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula project director at the International Crisis Group, referring to both the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and subsequent conflict. 

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This “entails getting guarantees” from Hamas that it will not attack Israel and from Israel that it won’t resume the war, she said.

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Egypt, which sees neighboring Gaza as within its natural sphere of influence, is eager for its private-sector firms to play a lead role in the internationally-funded reconstruction and development, including the gas and energy sectors, said Saif, the former Jordanian minister turned consultant. 

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Saif said he understood the reluctance among Gulf states to discuss reconstruction given the real threat of hostilities between Israel and Hamas resuming, their past experiences in Gaza and unanswered questions regarding the scope of the rebuilding effort.

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“Is it just rebuilding what was damaged or is there a comprehensive plan, where Gaza can have a port, proper electricity, water and sewage system?” Saif said. 

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—With assistance from Fiona MacDonald.

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