{"id":537179,"date":"2026-01-23T14:15:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T14:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/537179\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T14:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T14:15:09","slug":"imperial-agenda-whats-trumps-gaza-development-plan-unveiled-in-davos-israel-palestine-conflict-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/537179\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Imperial\u2019 agenda: What\u2019s Trump\u2019s Gaza development plan, unveiled in Davos? | Israel-Palestine conflict News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Glittering towers lining the Mediterranean coastline, a \u201cNew Gaza\u201d and \u201cNew Rafah\u201d in the offing, with more than 100,000 housing units alongside orderly industrial parks \u2013 and even a new airport.<\/p>\n

All without consultation with the people this development is supposed to benefit.<\/p>\n

This is the skeleton of a \u201cmasterplan\u201d for post-war Gaza, presented by Jared Kushner, United States President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law and a real estate developer, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland<\/a> this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no Plan B,\u201d said Kushner, as he unveiled the ambitious plan.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians \u2013 with thousands more missing and presumed dead under the rubble \u2013 in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the day Hamas launched an attack on villages and army outposts in southern Israel and Israel began its bombardment. More than 470 Palestinians have been killed<\/a> since a ceasefire was announced by Trump on October 10 last year.<\/p>\n

Presented as a plan to rebuild the Palestinian territory, the Trump administration\u2019s proposal this week, however, offers no insight into core issues such as property and land rights \u2014 let alone justice for war crimes \u2014 amid plans to construct shimmering buildings atop an estimated 68 million tonnes of rubble and war debris, where thousands of bodies remain buried.<\/p>\n

Praising the redevelopment plan, Trump, who also spoke at length at the forum in Davos, argued that the war in Gaza \u201cwas really coming to an end\u201d, even as Israeli forces killed at least 11 Palestinians, including two children and three journalists, in separate strikes on the Gaza Strip on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a real estate person at heart, and it\u2019s all about location,\u201d Trump said about the development plan. \u201cAnd I said, look at this location on the sea, look at this beautiful piece of property, what it could be for so many people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts have strongly criticised the \u201cimperialist\u201d vision of Trump\u2019s so-called master plan, which they say does not include any consultation with Palestinians and reduces the ongoing catastrophic genocide to an \u201cinvestment opportunity\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s proposal reeks of \u201cimperial plans for Gaza,\u201d Palestinian-American writer Susan Abulhawa wrote in a post on X. \u201cThis is a plan to erase Gaza\u2019s indigenous character, turn what remains of her people into a cheap labor force to manage their \u2018industrial zones\u2019 and create an exclusive coastline for \u2018tourism\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

During more than two years of bombardment on Gaza from October 2023, Israel, which is diplomatically supported and armed by the US, destroyed or damaged more than 80 percent of the Strip\u2019s buildings, with residential blocks completely flattened.<\/p>\n

All major hospitals and universities, and most of the Strip\u2019s electricity and water systems, roads and municipal services have been destroyed.<\/p>\n

Nearly all the territory\u2019s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, many of them multiple times. People face hours-long queues for basic food and water, and aid into the territory has been restricted by Israel, which controls everything that goes in and out.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s in the Gaza reconstruction plan, part of Trump\u2019s launch of a \u201cBoard of Peace<\/a>\u201d; could it be realised \u2014 and at what cost, especially for the people of Gaza?<\/p>\n

\"kushner\"US businessman Jared Kushner speaks at the \u2018Board of Peace\u2019 meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026 [Fabrice Coffrini\/AFP]What\u2019s the Board of Peace?<\/p>\n

In Davos on Thursday, Trump formally announced the charter for his \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d, which he has pitched as the next phase of his administration\u2019s 20-point peace plan and a mechanism to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. Membership on the board has a three-year cycle. Those seeking a permanent seat\u00a0must pay $1bn.<\/p>\n

But the 11-page charter for the Board of Peace does not mention Gaza and appears to have morphed into something far more ambitious \u2013 an international disputes forum and a potential rival to the United Nations.<\/p>\n

The executive board so far includes former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kushner, with Trump as the chairman himself with veto power. It also includes Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even though he faces an arrest warrant from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for war crimes in Gaza.<\/p>\n

At least 50 countries\u2019 leaders have confirmed that they have received invitations, including US adversaries China and Russia \u2014 and several have agreed to join<\/a>. However, Trump withdrew Canada\u2019s invitation \u200don Thursday, in what appeared to be a retaliatory move following Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s speech at the World Economic Forum, in which he denounced Trump\u2019s aggressive stance over Greenland.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the forum, Trump said the board was going to be \u201cvery successful in Gaza\u201d and \u201cwe can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kushner then outlined details about the board\u2019s development plans for Gaza without mentioning plans for a path to Palestinian statehood.<\/p>\n

Hamas, which currently governs Gaza, condemned the proposal, saying: \u201cOur people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"kushner\"Jared Kushner speaks as a \u2018Gaza Timeline\u2019 is displayed on a giant screen at the \u2018Board of Peace\u2019 meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026 [Mandel Ngan\/AFP]What\u2019s in the Gaza plan?<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s development plan includes projections to raise Gaza\u2019s gross domestic product (GDP) to $10bn by 2035, after the size of the territory\u2019s economy crashed to just $362m by 2024 amid the war; 500,000 new jobs; and at least $25bn in investment for modern utilities and public services.<\/p>\n

Kushner did not specify who would fund the redevelopment. \u201cAs you guys know, peace is a different deal than a business deal, because you\u2019re changing a mindset,\u201d he said, calling the Gaza peace efforts \u201cvery entrepreneurial\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, he also focused on security. \u201c[The] number one thing is going to be security,\u201d Kushner said. \u201cWithout security, nobody\u2019s going to make investments, nobody\u2019s gonna come build there. We need investments in order to start giving jobs,\u201d Kusher said.<\/p>\n

He added that the US is working \u201cvery closely with the Israelis to figure out a way to de-escalation, and the next phase is working with Hamas on demilitarisation\u201d.<\/p>\n

There is no evidence that Palestinians or their leadership have been consulted over any of these plans. Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza, said Palestinian civil society and official bodies were not included in discussions with the Board of Peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were surprised, as Palestinian actors on the ground, after 10 years of work, and especially the last two years of work in Gaza, that no one consulted us about the plans for Gaza and its future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time these leaders are holding ceremonies, Israel is using this period to continue its actions in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some of the highlights of Trump\u2019s redevelopment plan:<\/p>\n

Four phases of development<\/p>\n

Presenting a four-phase development timeline beginning in Rafah, southern Gaza, and then moving its way north, Kushner displayed colour-coded maps showing coastal tourism zones, mixed-use towers, and residential and industrial areas, as he unveiled the plan in Davos.<\/p>\n

Phase one of Trump\u2019s plan for rebuilding is set to start in Rafah, Gaza\u2019s southern-most city, and some parts of Khan Younis. Phase two will include other parts of Khan Younis, while phase three aims to develop refugee camps in central Gaza. Phase four will cover Gaza City, which is in the north of the territory.<\/p>\n

Kushner told attendees at Davos that construction of new developments in all these areas will take two to three years. However, he did not provide details about where Palestinians would live during reconstruction, and how new properties would be allocated.<\/p>\n

\"gaza\"Umm Jameela Abdul-Razzaq, right, a displaced Palestinian woman, sifts through debris with her grandson at her home, which was heavily damaged by Israeli bombardments in the Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza, on October 23, 2025 [Eyad Baba\/AFP]Coastal tourism plans<\/p>\n

In maps showing the Gaza plan, Trump\u2019s administration has pink-coloured nearly the entire seafront and marked it as a \u201ccoastal tourism\u201d zone that will include as many as 180 skyscrapers.<\/p>\n

The proposal also shows a port at the southwestern end of Gaza, alongside the border with Egypt, and an area zoned for an airport close by, a few miles from the site of the original Gaza airport, which was destroyed in Israeli attacks two decades ago.<\/p>\n

\"2025An unending stream of people marched up the coast of Gaza on January 27, carrying their belongings in plastic bags and repurposed flour sacks through the central city of Nuseirat after Israel reopened access to the territory\u2019s north [AFP]\"DisplacedDisplaced Palestinians flee Gaza City carrying their belongings along the coastal road towards southern Gaza, on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 [Abdel Kareem Hana\/AP Photo]Employment and investment<\/p>\n

In a report published in October 2025, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said unemployment in Gaza rose by 80 percent during the war, with more than 550,000 people currently without jobs.<\/p>\n

GDP plunged 83 percent in 2024 compared with the previous year, and by 87 percent over two years to $362m. GDP per capita plummeted to $161 annually, placing it among the lowest in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the war, the Gaza Strip witnessed economic growth, with the opening of many commercial, tourism, and industrial projects, and it became a haven for many investments in all sectors,\u201d Maher Altabbaa, the director-general of the Gaza Governorate Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Al Jazeera earlier last month.<\/p>\n

The proposal presented by Kushner claims more than 500,000 jobs in construction, agriculture, manufacturing and services will be created, with a $1.5bn investment in an initiative called \u201cVocational Schools and (Re)-Training for Full Labor Force\u201d.<\/p>\n

He added that the board aims to use \u201cfree market principles\u201d to shift Gaza\u2019s dependence on foreign aid, and unveiled plans for a new \u201clogistics corridor\u201d, a new \u201ctrilateral\u201d crossing at Rafah, and roads connecting Gaza\u2019s urban centres in the proposal. The plan seems to suggest the new crossing would be built at the point where Gaza, Israel and Egypt\u2019s Sinai region meet.<\/p>\n

The main, existing Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, meanwhile, is expected to open in both directions next week.<\/p>\n

\"gaza\"The body of three-month-old Palestinian baby Shatha Abu Jarad, who died of cold according to medics, is carried by her uncle at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on January 20, 2026 [Omar Al-Qatta\/AFP]\u2018New Rafah\u2019, \u2018New Gaza\u2019<\/p>\n

Kushner presented a slide showing artificial intelligence-generated images titled \u201cNew Rafah\u201d, which showed plans to build more than 100,000 permanent housing units in Gaza\u2019s southern city.<\/p>\n

About 200 schools and more than 75 medical facilities will be built, he claimed.<\/p>\n

Another slide, titled \u201cNew Gaza\u201d, showed plans to turn the enclave into a centre of industry, heavy on data centres and other digital infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE---GAZA-BEFORE-and-AFTER(Al Jazeera)What did Kusher say about demilitarisation?<\/p>\n

Kushner said the reconstruction plan would only commence following full disarmament by Hamas and the withdrawal of the Israeli military after that.<\/p>\n

Israel backed several armed groups and gangs in Gaza during the war, and Kushner said these would either be dismantled or \u201cintegrated into\u201d the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) \u2014 a body of 15 Palestinian technocrats tasked with the day-to-day running of the territory.<\/p>\n

All of Hamas\u2019s heavy weapons are to be decommissioned immediately, and the remaining smaller arms would be decommissioned gradually by a new Palestinian police force, under the plan. Hamas, on its part, has not committed to disarming \u2013 amid worries that this could eliminate what little armed resistance Palestinians in Gaza might be able to offer to future Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n

During the presentation in Davos, Kushner\u2019s slide presentation said that Hamas members who cooperate and disarm\u00a0would be \u201crewarded with amnesty and reintegration, or safe passage\u201d, and some would be \u201cintegrated\u201d into the new Palestinian police force after \u201crigorous vetting\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), has called for the full implementation of the peace plan, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a central role for the PA in administering Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Glittering towers lining the Mediterranean coastline, a \u201cNew Gaza\u201d and \u201cNew Rafah\u201d in the offing, with more than…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":537180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9886,69,337,70,18890,99,13191,3097,1802,50,4851],"class_list":{"0":"post-537179","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-construction","9":"tag-donald-trump","10":"tag-explainer","11":"tag-gaza","12":"tag-genocide","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-israel-palestine-conflict","15":"tag-middle-east","16":"tag-military","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-palestine"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115944838163068710","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}