Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Thursday that Washington is in talks with several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, to explore the possibility of forming a joint Arab force to help stabilize Gaza once the fighting subsides. He emphasized that no American troops would be deployed inside the enclave.
Speaking before his departure from Tel Aviv, Vance described “ongoing contacts with partners regarding Gaza’s future,” underscoring that the United States aims to begin reconstruction efforts in areas where Hamas no longer has a presence.
“Gaza today is effectively divided into two zones,” he explained. “One is largely free of Hamas, home to about 100,000 to 200,000 Palestinians. The other remains under Hamas control. Tens of thousands of residents could relocate to safer areas, where we plan to begin phased reconstruction.”
Vance said the United States hopes reconstruction could start in southern Gaza, particularly in Rafah, estimating that rebuilding the city could take between two and three years. “Our goal is for half a million Palestinians in the south to live safely, without posing a threat to Israel,” he added.
The vice president’s comments mark the most explicit acknowledgment yet of U.S. efforts to enlist Arab participation in Gaza’s postwar governance and recovery a task Washington sees as crucial to preventing a power vacuum once the current conflict winds down.
However, the diplomatic effort comes amid new tensions between Washington and Jerusalem following a controversial vote in Israel’s Knesset to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
Vance sharply criticized the move, calling it “strange” and “a foolish step,” adding that even if the vote were symbolic, it was “a political maneuver that represents an insult to me personally.” He confirmed that the Trump administration opposes any formal annexation of the West Bank by Israel, describing such actions as counterproductive to regional stability.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed those concerns, warning that the Knesset’s approval of draft laws aimed at expanding Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank could jeopardize the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. “The president has made it clear that Washington cannot support such a move at this time,” Rubio said before boarding a flight to Israel.
The Knesset’s decision has drawn sharp condemnation from Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic bodies. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry and Hamas both denounced the measure as a violation of international law, while several Arab governments issued statements warning that unilateral Israeli actions risk inflaming tensions across the region.
As Washington balances its support for Israel’s security with efforts to chart a postwar future for Gaza, the twin challenges of reconstruction and political restraint appear increasingly intertwined. The Biden administration’s task now lies in convincing both its Israeli allies and Arab partners that stability in Gaza and by extension, in the wider Middle East will depend not only on rebuilding shattered infrastructure, but also on rebuilding trust.
