The Arab world unanimously insists that President Trump’s proposal for the future of Gaza — as currently articulated — is unacceptable.
That said, a senior official in the United Arab Emirates says that his government is not currently drafting its own plan for Gaza.
Nor do they see an alternative to what Trump is saying — not yet, anyway.
Yousef Al-Otaiba is the UAE’s ambassador to the United States, a position of tremendous influence that he has held for sixteen years.
Otaiba is also a member of the UAE cabinet and a senior advisor to President Mohammed bin Zayed.
“We are against the forced displacement of Palestinians from their homes,” Otaiba told me this morning by phone.
If Gazans want to voluntarily leave and resettle elsewhere, that’s entirely their right and they should not be prevented from doing so, he said.
But any plan that involves “forced displacement” is a non-starter for all Arab nations.
The key question for Otaiba is how to find common ground and a viable, practical, compassionate way forward now that Trump is engaged in the Gaza issue and wants to take the lead.
“We’ve had very, very tough conversations in the past” with previous U.S. administrations, Otaiba told participants on Thursday at the World Government Summit in Dubai, and they are willing to have them again.
What Trump has proposed is “difficult” for the region, he noted.
However, when asked by journalist Hadley Gamble, “Is the UAE trying to work on a plan, an alternative” to the Trump plan, Otaiba candidly answered, “not yet — not yet”.
“I don’t see an alternative to what’s being proposed,” he saud. “I really don’t.”
“If someone has one, we’re happy to discuss it,” Otaiba added. “We’re happy to explore it but it hasn’t surfaced yet.”
Does this suggest that the UAE is open to what the American president is discussing?
They are absolutely open to his leadership, to a plan to rebuild Gaza, and to end extremism and violence in the Gaza Strip.
But as currently described, with Trump saying Palestinians will not have the right to go back to Gaza after it’s rebuilt and beautiful — “a jewel,” in Trump’s word, “a new Riviera on the Mediterranean” — that is not something any Arab leader can endorse.
Interestingly, Gamble — a senior correspondent for Al Arabiya, a Saudi owned news agency — did not directly ask Otaiba the UAE’s position on the future of Gaza, only if his government was drafting their own scenario.
Otaiba emphasized his government’s desire to work closely with President Trump and his team because of their close and historic alliance.
“It’s always about trying to find solutions, trying to find common ground,” Otaiba said of the UAE’s approach to conventional diplomacy, as well as to digital diplomacy.
“Right now, this particular set of issues is challenging but we’ll find a way through.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah II is deeply concerned about the Trump vision, as well.
But His Majesty is doing his best to engage and work with the administration to creatively and compassionately solve the complex challenge.
The King told Trump at the White House earlier this week that he and other Arab leaders welcome his bold leadership and his willingness to lead the international effort to clear and rebuild the Gaza Strip into something better and safer.
However, the King was candid — if diplomatic and non-confrontational — that he does not believe that the notion of moving two million Palestinians out of Gaza into temporary, much less permanent, housing into other countries, especially Jordan, is either possible or fair.
Egypt, by contrast, appears to be taking a somewhat confrontational approach.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is reportedly developing an alternative to the Trump vision.
Yet Sisi is refusing to agree to come to Washington to discuss his ideas with Trump, despite being invited by the new administration.
Some Mideast analysts believe that Sisi is making a mistake not to engage with Trump directly, just as King Abdullah is doing.
Gamble asked Otaiba if the Trump White House and State Department are listening to the UAE on a wide range of critical regional issues.
“Just like any relationship, sometimes our friends listen to us, sometimes they don’t, sometimes we agree on certain positions, sometimes we disagree, we’ve always strived to find common ground,” he said.
Otaiba stressed his country’s desire to work in a bipartisan spirit with both Republicans and Democrats.
“I’ve worked really hard to work with both sides,” he explained.
“Our approach is that we’re partners with the United States — who the United States elects is its business — but we have to have a good relationship with both sides. Otherwise, we will be at a disadvantage.”
