Trump's "Gaza Riviera": greenery, canals, skyscrapers, and no sign of Palestine.

The Washington Post revealed that the Trump administration is studying a 38-page plan for the future of Gaza. At first glance, it speaks of "reconstruction," "modernization," and even transforming the region into the "Riviera of the Middle East." But a careful reading reveals that the project rests on three deeply problematic pillars: the displacement of Palestinian inhabitants, the commodification of land, and private businesses disguised as humanitarian aid.

Forced displacement disguised as voluntary – The plan proposes that Gaza's two million inhabitants be removed from their homeland, either through "voluntary departures" to other countries or through confinement in "safe zones." This language softens a process that, in practice, amounts to ethnic cleansing. The UN has already warned of this risk. The historical parallel is clear: from the Nakba of 1948, which expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes, to the forced displacements of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

A plan for Gaza designed to please Donald Trump and his tribe. Where there's plenty of business, round figures with a string of zeros, investments, technology, artificial intelligence, data centers. The vision of the project is clearly Trumpian in style. Lots of steel and concrete, lots of money flowing. But nothing about Palestine.

The problem, for the members of this tribe, are the Gazans, the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. More than just legitimate inhabitants of a land reduced to rubble by 22 months of Israeli missiles, they are the main obstacle to a $100 billion project. They must be accommodated outside while the cranes work. Better still if they remain outside afterwards and never appear in those parts again.

The project is called GREAT Trust, an acronym for “Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation,” written in capital letters as MAGA: a clear reference to the slogan of the current magnate President, Make America Great Again. Its 38 pages condense the fate of the Gaza Strip as envisioned by Israelis who already conceived the system of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the controversial American foundation that uses armed contractors to distribute food. The dossier is on Trump's desk, along with other similar post-war proposals. They say that no final decision has yet been made; the matter is still under discussion. But does anyone doubt that Donald Trump, his family, and the entire tribe of magnates orbiting around him haven't embraced it as the true objective behind all the destructive and genocidal horror happening in that corner of the world?

 “Gaza will become a glittering tourist resort and a hub for high-tech technology and crafts,” promises one of the project's promotional brochures. The simulated images show a city reminiscent of Dubai, but surrounded by greenery, built on non-existent land, with waterways, irrigated fields, and trees reaching the beach.

The plan also foresees the United States assuming administrative control of the Gaza Strip for at least ten years. The estimated investment is around $100 billion, with a projected return four times greater over the decade. If Trump adopts it, the project would attract public and private investment in "megaprojects" such as beachfront hotels and electric car factories. Certainly, the objective of those who formulated the GREAT Trust is to give shape to Trump's repeatedly stated intention to transform Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East"—an idea initially conceived by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has strong economic interests in the region. The involvement of figures like Jared Kushner reveals what lies behind it: private interests aligned with geopolitics. As in the old colonial concessions, where external elites administered territories in the name of "civilization," here the term "reconstruction" is used to justify a project of expropriation and social re-engineering.

It's no coincidence that a few months ago Trump said: "Gaza is already a giant demolition site. It needs to be rebuilt differently: it has an exceptional location by the sea, a magnificent climate." 

But what he presents as reconstruction is, in reality, a business deal disguised as international politics. Very few in the world, however, seem to understand and accept that Gaza is not an empty plot of land to be reconfigured by capital: it is a living territory, with history, culture, and a recognized right to sovereignty. Transforming it into a “Riviera” at the cost of displacing millions means repeating, in the 21st century, the logic of exploitative colonies.

The true reconstruction of Gaza can only begin with the recognition of its inhabitants as subjects of rights – not as obstacles to be removed in the name of the market.