Jared Kushner suggests Israeli-occupied Gaza should be rebuilt

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s advisor and son-in-law, has proposed only rebuilding parts of Gaza that are occupied by Israel, according to the Middle East Eye and agencies on October 22nd.

Kushner said on October 21st: “There are considerations happening now in the area that the IDF controls, as long as that can be secured, to start the construction as a new Gaza in order to give the Palestinians living in Gaza a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live.”

He also said that areas under Hamas’s control would not receive reconstruction funds, possibly in an attempt to force Hamas to relinquish power in the Gaza Strip. Israel has already applied pressure on Hamas by reducing the amount of aid entering the Strip, despite condemnation from the UN; Israel has also repeatedly violated the ceasefire terms.

A long-time friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kushner has been heavily involved in negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Despite having no official title, Kushner has worked closely with the US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

It was reported on August 27th, that Kushner attended a meeting hosted by Trump to discuss plans for a post-war Gaza, alongside former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. It was reported on October 1st that Blair was under consideration for a leadership role in post-war Gaza, where he would oversee a governing board run by billionaires and businesspeople.

Affinity Partners, an investment fund established by Kushner, purportedly has connections to Israel’s Shlomo Group, as well as interests in real estate and construction.

On October 25th, 2023, Kushner emphasised the significance of the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between the UAE and Israel in September 2020.

Kushner caused outrage when he suggested that Gaza’s 2.2 million inhabitants should be expelled from the enclave to make way for real estate investment. He said in an interview at Harvard University on February 15th, 2024, that Gaza’s “waterfront property could be very valuable.”

He added: “It’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there, but from Israel’s perspective, I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up.”

However, Kushner is not the only person to be accused of wanting to depopulate Gaza, as Blair also faced allegations that he agreed with an Israeli initiative to resettle Gaza’s population outside of the Strip; Blair denied these accusations.

A strong supporter of Israel, Kushner has been a vocal opponent of Hamas, saying in a post on X on October 11th, 2023: “Now more than ever it is critical that the world stand firmly with Israel. Eliminating or severely degrading Hamas, and liberating the Palestinian people from Hamas oppression, is the only way to end this senseless cycle of violence and human suffering.”

Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org