'Riviera' Far-right set out plans for new Israeli city in Gaza

A group of far-right Israeli politicians and settlers met in parliament this week to discuss a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza, annex the territory and turn it into a hi-tech, luxury resort city for Israelis.

- William Christou and Quique Kierszenbaum

The scheme, a "master plan for settlement in the Gaza Strip", envisions the construction of 850,000 housing units, construction of hi-tech "smart cities" that trade cryptocurrency, and a metro system that runs across the territory. It took its inspiration from an idea shared by the US president, Donald Trump, in February, where he pledged to turn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East".

"The right of the people of Israel to settle, develop and preserve this land is not just a historical right - it is a national and security obligation," the text of the plan said, boasting of economic benefits that it would bring to Israel.

The plan, seen by the Guardian, would require Gaza's existing population of about 2 million to be emptied out. Legal experts warn that forcible displacement on such a grand scale would be illegal.

"This is a plan for ethnic cleansing. Under international law, this would amount to a crime against humanity because deportation is a war crime when committed on a small scale and a crime against humanity when it is committed on a massive scale," said Michael Sfard, one of Israel's leading human rights lawyers.