Kushner presents 'master plan' for rebuilding postwar Gaza

 

Kushner presents 'master plan' for rebuilding postwar Gaza

Kate Hairsine with AFP, dpa

9 hours ago

Jared Kushner, the US president's son-in-law, who's taken on top roles in high-profile matters, revealed a redevelopment plan to transform Gaza into a glitzy seaside resort.

 

https://p.dw.com/p/57Ghy

 

Using slides showing images of gleaming skyscrapers and apartments, Jared Kushner presented a Trump-backed "master plan" for the rebuilding of Gaza.

 

Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, said during Thursday's presentation at the World Economic Forum in Davos that postwar Gaza would become "a place that the people … can thrive, have great employment."

 

"In the Middle East they build cities like this, you know for 2 or 3 million people, they build this in three years," said Kushner, who has no official title but has been part of the US-backed Gaza peace negotiations.

 

"And so, stuff like this is very doable if we make it happen," he said, speaking immediately after Trump presented his ambitious "Board of Peace" designed to oversee the Gaza truce and Strip's reconstruction.

 

Kushner spoke of needing investments of at least $25 billion (€21.3 billion) to rebuild Gaza's shattered infrastructure and public services.

 

"It could be a hope. It could be a destination," he said.

 

The war between Israel and the Hamas militant group has left much of Gaza damaged or destroyed.

 

The conflict was triggered by attacks led by Hamas, designated as a terror organization by the United States, the European Union, Germany and other nations, in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

 

The October 2025 ceasefire has reduced the level of bombing and fighting and increased aid deliveries.

 

But hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza continue to live in temporary shelters at displacement camps or in bombed-out buildings.

 

Trump calls Gaza a 'beautiful piece of property'

 

In Davos, Trump echoed Kushner's confidence, saying "we're going to be very successful in Gaza."

 

"It's going to be a great thing to watch," President Donald Trump said.

 

"I'm a real estate person at heart... and I said, look at this location on the sea. Look at this beautiful piece of property. What it could be for so many people," he said.

 

Nearly a year ago, Trump floated plans to convert Gaza into a "Riviera of the Middle East," a move that drew condemnation from many quarters.

 

At the time, he also appeared somewhat vague on questions dealing with what would happen to Palestinians living there.

 

He said it would be populated with "the world's people ... Palestinians also, Palestinians will live there. Many people will live there."

 

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar