Sinai 'cornerstone' to Trump's peace plan, Egyptian sources reveal
"The sources explained that Kushner in Cairo discussed aspects of the deal to do with Egypt's role in it, namely joint projects with Gaza in the North Sinai,
funded predominantly by Gulf money.
"The desert region, currently experiencing an
IS-linked insurgency being brutally quashed by an Egyptian military campaign, is planned to serve as a 'cornerstone', say the sources.
"First up, a shared free trade zone between the Gaza Strip and Rafah would be established.
"Secondly, a giant power station has been planned, which would supply Gaza with much-neeed electricity, towards which the UAE have reportedly already pledged $500m.
"Thirdly, the US plan comprises a joint Egypt-Gaza seaport in the North Sinai that would employ labour from Gaza, but would be fully supervised by Egypt, according to the sources.
"In addition, the project includes, according to the source, an Egyptian airport in North Sinai which would also serve the people of Gaza, however again it would be entirely supervised and staffed by Egyptians.
"The sources emphasised that this plan has become warmly welcomed by Egypt's political circles, much more so than proposed land exchange deals, which were vastly unpopular with the Egyptian people.
"The latest plan would facilitate economic growth development in the Sinai, which has historically been one of Egypt's poorest and most neglected regions."
I suppose there are echos of the old Semitic Union solution from fifty years ago, but it's hard to see how it will work without input from Palestinians?
