In his 10-minute speech on Thursday, Kushner claimed it would be possible — if there's security — to quickly rebuild Gaza's cities, which are now in ruins after more than two years of Israel's genocidal war on the strip.
“In the Middle East, they build cities like this ... in three years," said Kushner, who helped broker the ceasefire in place since October. “And so stuff like this is very doable, if we make it happen.”
That timeline clashes with Israel’s repeated violations of the ongoing truce, as well as its continued blockade of Gaza and restrictions on life-saving aid. It also runs counter to what the United Nations and Palestinians expect will be a very long process to rehabilitate Gaza.
Across the territory of roughly 2 million people, former apartment blocks are now hills of rubble, unexploded ordnance from Israeli bombing lies beneath the wreckage, disease is spreading because of sewage-tainted water, and city streets look like dirt canyons.
The United Nations Office for Project Services says Gaza has more than 60 million tons of rubble, enough to fill nearly 3,000 container ships. That will take over seven years to clear, they say, and then additional time is needed for demining.
Kushner spoke as Trump and an assortment of world leaders gathered to ratify the charter of the Board of Peace, the body that will oversee the ceasefire and reconstruction process.
Here are key takeaways from the presentation, and some questions raised by it:
Reconstruction hinges on security
Kushner said his reconstruction plan would only work if Gaza has “security” — a big “if.”
Amid its near-daily ceasefire violations, Israel has insisted on disarming the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Officials from the group maintain they have the right to resist Israeli occupation. But they have said they would consider “freezing” their weapons as part of a process to achieve Palestinian statehood.
Since the latest ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Israeli troops have killed at least 470 Palestinians in Gaza, including women and young children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
Kushner said the Board of Peace has been working with Israel on “de-escalation.” According to Kushner, the disarmament of Hamas would be managed by the U.S.-backed Palestinian committee overseeing Gaza.
The committee, known by the acronym NCAG, will eventually hand over control of Gaza to a reformed Palestinian Authority. Hamas has agreed to dissolve its own government to make way.
But Israel has adamantly opposed any proposal for postwar Gaza that involves the Palestinian Authority.
Another challenge lies in disarming criminal groups and gangs in Gaza. Kushner's presentation said such groups, which receive support from Israel, would either be dismantled or “integrated into NCAG.”
Without security, Kushner said, there would be no way to draw investors to Gaza and or stimulate job growth. The latest joint estimate from the U.N., the European Union and the World Bank is that rebuilding Gaza will cost $70 billion.
Reconstruction would not begin in areas that are not fully disarmed, one of Kushner’s slides said.
'New Gaza'
When unveiling his plan for Gaza’s reconstruction, Kushner did not say how demining would be handled or where Gaza’s residents would live as their areas are rebuilt. At the moment, most families are sheltering in a stretch of land that includes parts of Gaza City and most of Gaza’s coastline. Israel occupies roughly half of the strip demarcated by the so-called “Yellow Line” and has not yet lifted its blockade.
In Kushner's vision of a future Gaza, there would be new roads and a new airport — the old one was destroyed by Israel more than 20 years ago — plus a new port, and an area along the coastline designated for “tourism” that is currently where most Palestinians live. The plan calls for eight “residential areas” interspersed with parks, agricultural land and sports facilities.
Also highlighted by Kushner were areas for “advanced manufacturing,” “data centers,” and an “industrial complex,” though it is not clear what industries they would support.
Kushner said construction would first focus on building “workforce housing” in Rafah, a southern city that was decimated by an Israeli assault during the war and remains occupied by Israeli troops. He said rubble-clearing and demolition were already underway there.
Kushner did not address whether demining would occur. The United Nations says unexploded shells and missiles are everywhere in Gaza, posing a threat to people searching through rubble to find their relatives, belongings, and kindling.
Rights groups say rubble clearance and demining activities have not begun in earnest in the zone where most Palestinians live because Israel has prevented the entry of heavy machinery.
After Rafah will come the reconstruction of Gaza City, Kushner said, or “New Gaza,” as his slide calls it. The new city could be a place where people will “have great employment," he said.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
Short link: