Does Trump want to ‘occupy Gaza’ to fulfill his son-in-law’s dream?
Last Updated on February 10, 2025 5:59 am
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to build a “Middle Eastern Riviera” by occupying the Gaza Strip. But analysts and diplomats believe that Trump has done most of the work to move forward with his plan.
It is clear that someone close to Trump’s family has been discussing something similar for at least a year and has the funding and political connections to make it a reality.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former Middle East adviser, said in February 2024 that “the coastal property in Gaza could be very valuable if people were to focus on making money there.”
Kushner said that the situation there was “a bit unfortunate. But from an Israeli perspective, I think we will do everything we can to clean it up after we evacuate the people there.”
When Kushner made these remarks, Israel was considering an operation in the southern Gaza border town of Rafah. At the time, he added, “Palestinians could be forcibly displaced to Israel or the Negev Desert in Egypt. If pressured, they would be allowed to return to Gaza.”
However, under international law, the United States does not have control over Gaza’s waters or its maritime property. This is no small matter.
Trump initially said that the US-controlled Gaza Strip would be open to “people of the world” and that there would be no reason for Palestinians to return. However, his advisers rejected that claim.
But Kushner is also important in Trump’s announcement of the “Gaza occupation.” He is not just Trump’s son-in-law or a former White House adviser. After Trump’s first term ended, Kushner launched a private equity fund called Affinity Partners. The fund seems almost ready to finance Trump’s vision of building a luxury city in Gaza.
Reuters could not confirm whether Kushner had already taken part in any discussions about investing in Gaza. His equity firm has previously received $2 billion in investments from Saudi Arabia and Gulf states.
However, there are doubts about how Trump’s plan to seize Gaza and turn it into a resort will work.
According to a source close to the royal court in Riyadh, the Arab world’s emerging power Saudi Arabia is not taking Trump’s announcement very seriously. It was not well thought out and it is unlikely to be implemented. So, at the end of the day, Trump himself will understand that.
Source: Middle East Eye