What's happened
Jared Kushner unveiled a $30 billion plan to rebuild Gaza with modern cities and infrastructure, featuring high-rises and resorts. The plan, developed without Palestinian input, involves demolishing existing neighborhoods and is tied to disarmament and security conditions amid ongoing conflict and destruction.
What's behind the headline?
The Gaza reconstruction plan reveals a clear prioritization of geopolitical interests over Palestinian agency. Kushner's vision of modern cities and resorts, reminiscent of Dubai or Las Vegas, ignores the reality of Gaza's devastated landscape and the urgent needs of its displaced residents. The plan's emphasis on high-end development and security conditions suggests it is more about consolidating Israeli and US influence than genuine Palestinian rebuilding. The lack of consultation with Palestinians and omission of core issues like land rights and sovereignty indicates this is a top-down project driven by external interests. If implemented, it risks displacing thousands and erasing Gaza's historical fabric, effectively turning the territory into a gated, commercialized enclave. The timeline of three years for rebuilding is overly optimistic given the current rubble, unexploded ordnance, and ongoing military operations. The plan's success hinges on disarmament and security, which remain uncertain, and it may serve to entrench occupation rather than resolve conflict. Ultimately, this initiative underscores the broader geopolitical strategy to reshape Gaza in Israel's and US's image, sidelining Palestinian sovereignty and agency, and risking further destabilization.
What the papers say
The articles from Al Jazeera, The New Arab, The Independent, and NY Post collectively highlight the stark contrast between the ambitious, glossy vision of Gaza's future and the harsh reality on the ground. Al Jazeera emphasizes the plan's total disregard for Palestinian voices and the destruction wrought by Israeli military actions, describing the plan as an 'urban design shift' that ignores core issues like land rights. The New Arab criticizes the plan as an 'imperialist' project that displaces Palestinians and erases Gaza's identity, noting the absence of Palestinian input and the plan's focus on tourism and luxury development. The Independent underscores the lack of consultation and the plan's foundation on rubble and war debris, warning that it is built on graves and displaced communities. The NY Post presents Kushner's optimistic timeline and high-end renderings, contrasting sharply with the reality of Gaza's devastated infrastructure and ongoing conflict, and highlighting the plan's conditionality on Hamas disarmament and security. Overall, the sources depict a narrative of external interests shaping Gaza's future at the expense of its people, with skepticism about the plan's feasibility and intentions.
How we got here
Following over two years of Israeli bombardment and siege since October 2023, Gaza's infrastructure has been decimated, with more than 80% of buildings damaged or destroyed. The US and Israel aim to disarm Hamas and facilitate reconstruction, but the plan faces skepticism over its feasibility, political implications, and the absence of Palestinian voices.
Go deeper
Common question
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What is Jared Kushner's plan to rebuild Gaza?
Jared Kushner has unveiled a $30 billion plan aimed at rebuilding Gaza with modern infrastructure, high-rises, and resorts. However, this ambitious project has sparked widespread controversy, especially among Palestinians and international observers. Many question the plan's feasibility, motivations, and impact on the region's ongoing conflict. Below, we explore the key questions surrounding this controversial initiative and what it means for Gaza's future.
More on these topics
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Jared Corey Kushner is an American investor, real-estate developer, and newspaper publisher who is currently senior advisor to his father-in-law, Donald Trump, the President of the United States.
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Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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Gaza most commonly refers to:
Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
Gaza may also refer to:
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The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.
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The United Nations Office for Project Services is an operational arm of the United Nations, dedicated to implementing projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partners around the world.