Documents revealing the Trump-Netanyahu plan to remake Gaza

BarcelonaGaza's current nightmare already has a dream future. Without the Palestinians, probably. Or, at best, with the Palestinians as second-class citizens in a territory destined to erase the remnants of the present horror and turn it into the "Eastern Mediterranean Riviera." as defined by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, a few months ago. Thus, the US administration is already working with international partners on a reconstruction plan for the Strip that, if ever implemented, could further redraw the enclave, currently an area of ​​360 square kilometers where, according to calculations by the United Nations April, 92% of homes have been destroyed or damaged, and where American estimates indicate that there are eleven thousand bombs that have not exploded.

The 38-page document, dubbed Gaza reconstitution, economic acceleration and transformation trust (GREAT Trust), proposes that the United States administer the Strip for at least a decade under a tutelary regime, with the stated objective of transforming it into a global tourism and technology hub. The scheme, advanced by the Washington Post This Monday, he is considering the "voluntary relocation" of the more than two million Palestinians currently living in Gaza, either to third countries willing to host them or to "safe" areas within the enclave itself during reconstruction.

Those who decide to leave would receive a check for $5,000 and assistance with rent for four years and food for one year. In addition, landlords would receive a "token "digital" with the value of its land, exchangeable in the hypothetical dream future for a home in one of the six or eight "smart cities with AI" that would be built in Gaza. It all sounds like madness when the bombs keep falling, but last Wednesday Trump and his special envoy for Gaza and Ukraine addressed the issue at a meeting at the White House, which also included Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and a real estate investor and developer like themselves, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will participate.

The alleged plan estimates that each voluntary departure would save the fund about $23,000 compared to the cost of maintaining the displaced in temporary accommodations and providing them with basic services. The project's backers, linked to Israeli businessmen and former heads of the Boston Consulting Group, claim that the initial investment of $100 billion could quadruple within a decade, thanks to the creation of hotel complexes, electric vehicle factories, data centers, and large residential developments.

A real estate and geopolitical vision

Trump had already hinted at this idea during the 2024 election campaign, when he promised to "quickly stop" the war and rebuild Gaza with the mentality of a real estate developer. Shortly after taking office, he declared that the United States "will take control of the Strip" and that "everyone loves the idea." At his side, Netanyahu called the proposal a "courageous vision."

El pla Trump-Netanyahu per fer de Gaza un pol turístic i tecnològic

A similar operation is equivalent to erasing the memory of the current Gaza Strip. On an infinitely smaller scale, this urban planning approach has been seen before, for example, in Punta Carretas, Montevideo. The former prison, through which thousands of victims of the Uruguayan dictatorship passed, closed in 1985 and opened as a shopping center in 1994. There, to a certain extent, a memory has been preserved that evokes what that place was, but in Trump and Netanyahu's tourist and technological complex, with ten mega-city projects, everything seems impossible. Gaza would become a key logistics hub for the economic corridor between India, the Middle East, and Europe. The seafront would house tourist complexes and artificial islands similar to Dubai, while inland cities would be built with skyscrapers up to twenty stories high, green areas, hospitals, and schools. It would be managed by the GREAT Trust. 30% of Gaza's land would be designated "public."

Israel would retain "comprehensive" security rights for at least the first year, while Western private security companies and third-party forces would maintain order until a "deradicalized" local police force was ready to take over. The plan envisions a ten-year transition to hand over administration to a reformed Palestinian entity, which would eventually join the Abraham Accords, the first Trump administration's diplomatic effort to normalize relations between Israel and Arab states. However, there is no mention of creating a Palestinian state.

Contrasts and Rejection

The proposal—little more than a trial balloon—comes as the war approaches its second anniversary. The Israeli offensive, unleashed after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, has left more than 60,000 Palestinians dead. Nearly half a million people They suffer catastrophic hungerFaced with this scenario, several governments and organizations have presented alternative plans. The Palestinian Authority, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates propose a transitional government with international support that would lead to Palestinian reconciliation and, eventually, a state of its own. Arab capitals flatly reject any project that involves the expulsion of Gazans.

Netanyahu, for his part, has only been clear on two points: Hamas must be disarmed and Israel must retain security control. Likewise, ministers from his right-wing coalition are calling for the permanent annexation of the Strip and the return of Israeli settlers. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has advocated "opening the doors of Gaza to voluntary immigration" and retaining the territory "forever." Tel Aviv also rules out the creation of a Palestinian state.

The debate about displacing the Palestinian population is not new: it took place in 1948 (Nakba), with the displacement of 700,000 people Following the founding of the State of Israel, the issue was already raised after the 1967 war and has intermittently resurfaced each time the conflict has recurred. Prime Minister Netanyahu has admitted to talks with several countries in the region to take in Gazans, from Libya and Ethiopia to Somalia, but it is an unrealistic scenario. PowerPointHowever, it exists, and whether or not it becomes a reality speaks volumes about the intentions of Tel Aviv and Washington.