Significant concerns over ‘Board of Peace’

AT THE World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, the Trump administration outlined what it described as a “master plan” for the Gaza Strip’s future, replete with planned cities, data centres and a beachfront for tourists, but which was far removed from the destruction, desperation and political realities on the ground.

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JARED Kushner, US businessman and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, speaks at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos this week.

(AFP)

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and key adviser, took to the stage to present a deck of slides with Al-generated images of gleaming high-rises and apartment blocks arranged in concentric rings. From 90 000 tons of rubble generated by the war, he said, a “new Gaza” would be born.

“We're committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarised, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt. It’s going to be a great plan,” Trump said.

He and other leaders were there to sign the founding charter of the “Board of Peace”, which was originally conceived as an oversight body for the reconstruction of Gaza but has since morphed into a US-led council with a more sweeping mandate. “I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza,” Trump said.

According to a map included in Kushner’s slideshow, Gaza’s entire Mediterranean shoreline would be reserved for “coastal tourism”, with 180 high-rise towers lining the beach. Across other parts of the enclave, parks and sports facilities would break up industrial complexes, data centres and advanced manufacturing facilities.

Residential areas appear to take up only about half of the map, while some areas marked for agriculture are located in places with poor, sandy soil unsuitable for crops.

The residential zones would be restricted to preplanned cities laid out with multi-floor apartment buildings, according to an Al-generated picture of a zone called “New Rafah”.