Algerian president skips Arab summit in Cairo on Gaza to avoid clash with US
The President of Algeria has positioned himself apart from the rest of the countries that make up the Arab League and has refused to attend the emergency summit called by the organisation for 4 March. Algeria's Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, will represent the country.
The aim of the meeting is to discuss Egypt's proposal to rebuild Gaza as opposed to the plan recently presented by Donald Trump, by means of a video generated by artificial intelligence, in which he presents his project to turn the Gaza Strip into ‘the Riviera of the Middle East.’
Monopoly of the Palestinian cause
In a communiqué issued on 2 March by the official Algerian news agency, it was reported that the Algerian president would be absent due to his disagreement with the way in which the Cairo summit had been prepared.
According to the communiqué, ‘the process of preparing for the Arab summit was monopolised by a limited and small group of Arab countries, which took it upon themselves to draw up the results of the summit without the slightest coordination with the rest of the Arab countries.’
Tebboune's decision has caused surprise within the Arab League, breaking the unified position of the Arab countries on the Gaza crisis and hindering the unanimous adoption of the roadmap for the reconstruction of the Strip.
In fact, the surprise was even greater considering that Tebboune's 2019 electoral programme was committed to Algeria remaining at the centre of the Arab drive, regardless of the circumstances.
Proof of this was the decision to host the 31st Arab Summit in 2022, which had been postponed for two years due to the pandemic, and in which the Algerian government made every effort to ensure that as many leaders as possible attended.
Doubts about Algeria's arguments
Although disagreement with the way the summit has been prepared has been the argument used by Tebboune's government to delegate representation to his foreign minister, analysts believe this is a smokescreen. In situations of disagreement over the approval of a project, it is usual for the country's leader to attend the summit and put the differences on the table.
However, the explanation for Abdelmadjid Tebboune's decision to absent himself from the Cairo summit may have more to do with the interest in seeking a rapprochement with the Trump Administration from an economic and military point of view, considering the Russian presence in the Sahel.
In this sense, Tebboune's absence would be an attempt to distance himself and not be seen at a summit in Cairo where Trump's proposal for a ‘Middle Eastern Riviera’ will be censured.
Despite this, Algeria may suffer more harm than good if it breaks Arab unity over the Gaza crisis, as it may plunge into political and diplomatic isolation by undermining the collective Arab position against Israel.
Moreover, Tebboune's recent statements to the French newspaper i are not exactly going to increase his popularity among Arab countries. The Algerian president assured the newspaper that ‘Algeria has no direct problems with Israel, and when the Palestinian question is resolved according to the principle of the two-state solution, with Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of the displaced, Algeria will normalise its relations with Israel the very next day’.
Egypt's proposal
With or without Tebboune, the 22 countries of the Arab League are meeting on 4 March in Cairo to reject Trump's proposal for the Gaza Strip and to discuss the roadmap drawn up by the Egyptian government. A government that is extremely interested in resolving the Gaza crisis, to prevent the Palestinians from being expelled into its territory.
For this reason, Egypt has drawn up a three-phase plan to rebuild Gaza within three years, with the collaboration of companies from Egypt, the Arab world, and Muslim countries.
According to Egyptian magnate Talaat Mustafa, the reconstruction of Gaza would require the construction of 200,000 new homes to house 1.2 million people, which will require the participation of 40 or 50 construction companies over a period of three years. The cost of the project, according to the UN, the World Bank, and the European Union, will be around 53 billion dollars.
Egypt's proposal also puts the Palestinian National Authority and its president, Mahmoud Abbas, at the centre of the debate. Many doubt that he has the capacity to lead the future of Gaza.