Trump wants to turn Gaza into a tourist paradise

Donald Trump
Trump wants to turn Gaza into a tourist paradise

Wolfgang Hansson

This is a commentary text. Analysis and positions are those of the writer.

Published 20.51

Quick version

• Donald Trump has expressed an idea to turn Gaza into a luxury beach resort with the help of international investments.
• The idea is met with great resistance from both Palestinians and other political actors, who believe that reconstruction should focus on the needs of the local population rather than tourism.
• Although the potential for tourism exists, the implementation of such a project would require a stable peace between Israel and the Palestinians, which is considered a distant dream.

With almost 50,000 dead and an apocalyptic landscape of total devastation, the proposal feels as grotesque as it is unattainable.

But it seems that Donald Trump wants to turn Gaza into a luxury beach resort.

The question is how he will get the Palestinians on board.

The comment came almost in passing at an impromptu press conference a few hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as president.

“– Gaza Gaza is like a giant demolition site,” Trump said. “The place has to be rebuilt in a new way.”

When the reporter asked if he was prepared to help with the reconstruction, it was the real estate magnate rather than the president who answered.

“Maybe.”

Trump probably misinterpreted the reporter’s question, which was more about whether the United States was prepared to contribute financially to Gaza’s reconstruction.

The president was quick to develop his reasoning, with the real estate agent’s motto of location, location, location in mind.

“Gaza is an interesting place,” Trump said. “It has a fantastic location by the sea. The weather is great. Everything is good. Beautiful and amazing things could be done with Gaza.”

It sounds like Trump would be happy to make a real estate deal where his own company could make big money.

Both Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, have expressed similar thoughts in the past.

Photo: Ben Curtis / AP

Evacuating Gaza’s population

At a speech at Harvard University last February, Kushner stated that Gaza’s coastal land could be “very valuable.” At the same time, he floated the idea of ​​temporarily moving the entire population of Gaza to camps in the Negev Desert in Israel to make it easier to defeat Hamas and then take care of the reconstruction.

Just the other day, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, floated the idea of ​​evacuating the entire population of Gaza to Indonesia while Gaza is rebuilt.

Both of these ideas immediately encounter fierce resistance from the Palestinians, who fear that if they leave the area, Israel will never let them return and instead annex the land.

Drone footage of Gaza shows the enormous devastation wrought by Israel’s bombing. It’s like traveling through a sterile, devastated lunar landscape. Many of the dead are still buried under the rubble.

Palestinians look at their destroyed home Photo: Abdel Kareem Hana / AP

Using satellite images, the UN has calculated that 70 percent of all buildings are completely destroyed or seriously damaged.

The reconstruction will be an extremely expensive and extensive work that will take years. Will the Palestinians live in tents until new housing is ready? Can they stay?

Oil money can finance

The Palestinians, regardless of their political affiliation, are not interested in turning Gaza into a holiday paradise for Israeli tourists. They primarily want to build their own homes.

At the same time, tourism could provide Gaza with much-needed income. Even before the last war, a large part of the population was unemployed and dependent on emergency aid.

To be feasible, Trump's idea of ​​luxury hotels, fancy shops and golf courses would have to be implemented by countries such as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Turkey.

Then Gaza could become a resort for tourists from the Arab world rather than from Israel.

The oil-rich states have the money needed to finance reconstruction.

Israel has no interest in rebuilding Gaza unless it can take over the enclave itself. The far-right parties in Netanyahu's government would like to build new settlements in the area or, even better, deport all Palestinians and take over Gaza completely.

The idea of ​​Gaza as a luxury resort also requires that there be a stable peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Otherwise, the next war will soon be underway and no one will want to go to Gaza to lie on the beach or shop.