THERE are several rehabilitation plans being mentioned these days regarding Gaza. One of them has been proposed by Egypt, duly endorsed by both the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The plan seems more hypothetical than practical. It suffers from an inherent weakness of being overly dependent on a litany of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’.

For the present, it may serve the purpose of stalling at least temporarily the bizarre Trumpian fancy of a Middle Eastern riviera, but is prone to losing steam sooner rather than later.

The United States and Israel have already expressed their disapproval of the Egyptian idea. Major prospective financers, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would also be sceptical as long as Hamas remains relevant. On its part, despite a tacit affirmative nod, Hamas is adamant on not accepting any arrangement that may even remotely seek its exclusion.

The evolving humanitarian fiasco in Gaza needs a quick fix, as a long-term deadlock may be unsustainable. In this precarious backdrop, an OIC solution instead of the proposed hardcore Arab/regional formula can be more acceptable to all parties involved in the deadly conflagration.

The initiative must be launched from the OIC platform with support from the international community under the banner of the United Nations. In order to forestall possible misgivings, triggering spanners in the works, Hamas, though perceivably diminished, should not be completely alienated. Its concurrence must be solicited by winning it over about the viability of the OIC plan.

As an important stakeholder, Hamas may be persuaded, convinced and taken onboard with regard to the merits of the OIC plan. It may, however, be ensured, for obvious reasons, that Hamas is not assigned any role in the execution of the larger plan The governance of the Gaza Strip may be taken over by an OIC-nominated committee and a recons-truction fund established forthwith to accept contributions from all over the world. A vigorous re-building and rehabilitation effort may be unfolded under the auspices and control of the OIC.

At the same time, an OIC peacekeeping mission, with its assets drawn from mem-bers, like Pakistan, Turkiye, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, etc., should be deployed with the task of improving the law and order situation, policing operations and safeguarding the territorial integrity of Gaza.

With such measures in place, human-itarian work may be started side by side on a war footing to cater to the urgent needs of the displaced population in the more important spheres of shelter, health, food, primary education, etc.

Most importantly, the OIC mandate in Gaza must have a well-defined and stipulated timeframe, after which fair and free elections may be held in Gaza for people to choose their own admin-istration. In a similar vein, Hamas may also be allowed to participate in such elections as an unarmed political entity.

Abid Hameed Chughtai
Lahore

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2025