Trump: My Plan for Gaza Is Good, but I Won’t Insist on It or Impose It, Rather I Only Recommend It / Presidential Presence, Popular and Partisan Processions, Regional and International Delegations at the Funeral

 February 22, 2025

The political editor wrote

A measure of Arab resilience was enough to make U.S. President Donald Trump retreat from insisting on his plan to displace Gaza’s residents. Although he still believes it to be a good plan, and remains baffled by the opposition to it, he now merely recommends. However, he continues to describe Gaza as an “amazing place” and expresses astonishment that Israel ever left it.

The question awaiting an Arab answer is this: What if the Arabs continued their resilience and raised their voices louder, not just for Gaza, but for the greater cause called Palestine? A cause with a people who deserve a state, universally recognised as the path to resolving the conflict. The Arab Peace Initiative stands as the collective Arab commitment: normalisation comes only after the establishment of a Palestinian state, the right of return, and the withdrawal from all occupied territories of 1967, including East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Will the Arabs rise to the occasion?

As the Arab world deliberates, Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, is preparing for a historic event tomorrow: the grand funeral of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, the martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and his successor, the martyr Sayyed Hashem Safi al-Din. Preparations have been completed to ensure a ceremony befitting the occasion.

According to the organising committee, over 10,000 party members will be deployed from Saturday evening to maintain order and security in coordination with official security agencies. Hundreds of nurses and doctors, along with dozens of ambulances, will be on standby for the participants’ medical needs. Media coverage has been fully arranged, with hundreds of Lebanese, Arab, and international media outlets present. An estimated 4,000 journalists will cover the event, while dozens of giant screens have been set up along the funeral route for those unable to reach its endpoint.

In terms of attendance, the committee confirms a presidential presence, along with partisan and regional processions comprising thousands of supporters. Delegations from nearly 100 Arab, Islamic, and foreign countries will attend, including senior officials and political figures. The expected number of participants from outside Lebanon is in the tens of thousands, while the overall turnout is projected to exceed one million, making it the largest gathering in Lebanon’s history for any political, social, or religious event. It stands as a tribute to the leader of the resistance, his sacrifices, and his legacy, and as a solemn vow to continue the path he paved.