Plan to build housing in Israeli-occupied Gaza confirmed
An official within the administration of US President Donald Trump has confirmed plans to construct housing units in the Israeli-occupied part of the Gaza Strip, according to the Middle East Eye via The New York Times on November 26th.
The plan would permit the construction of housing units for thousands of “screened” Palestinians behind the “yellow line“, which represents the area of Gaza still under Israeli control. It is currently unclear what the “screening” process will entail.
Following the implementation of the US-backed Gaza ceasefire, Israel has not fully withdrawn from the enclave, leading to concerns that Gaza will ultimately be partitioned in a de facto territorial separation.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has displaced round 1.9 million people, with many forced to shelter in tents which are deemed unfit for human habitation.
The plan, called “Alternative Safe Communities”, is led by US officials and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) workers, who are based in the luxury beachfront Kempinski and Hilton hotels in Tel Aviv.
One official reportedly involved in the initiative is Aryeh Lightstone, who formerly worked as the CEOÂ of the Abraham Accords Peace Institute.
Lightstone, a US rabbi, served as a senior advisor to the ex-U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who held the ambassador role from 2017 to 2021. Lightstone is currently an advisor to the U.S. Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Friedman was an advocate of Israeli settlement expansion during his time as ambassador, a position which also appears to be supported by the current US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.
Lightstone is reportedly under the supervision of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and advisor. Kushner proposed only rebuilding areas of Gaza under Israeli control on October 22nd, saying that reconstruction funds should be allocated only to Israeli-occupied areas.
Under Trump’s initial administration, Kushner was the architect of the so-called “Deal of the Century“, which sought to bring peace to the Middle East, but was unsuccessful and heavily criticised.
In March 2024, Kushner reportedly advocated for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza’s population of 2.2 million; he proposed expelling the Palestinians to make way for a “very valuable” waterfront property.
Middle East Eye via The New York Times, Maghrebi.org
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