Gaza is not a real estate fantasy

January 25, 2026 - 20:01

Recent discussions, reportedly involving former U.S. President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, have framed Gaza's future through a lens of high-end real estate and forced displacement. These conceptual plans, suggesting the coastal strip could be waterfront property for another nation or subject to sweeping external redevelopment, fundamentally misunderstand the reality on the ground.

Gaza is not a blank slate for foreign investment fantasies. It is home to over two million Palestinians with deep generational ties to the land. Any proposal that ignores their political rights, aspirations, and sheer will to remain is destined to collapse. The central failure of such visions is treating a profound political and humanitarian crisis as a mere logistical or construction challenge.

History has repeatedly shown that imposed solutions in this region do not bring stability. Lasting peace and reconstruction cannot be architected from distant boardrooms or circumvent the need for a legitimate political process involving the Palestinian people themselves. Proposals focusing solely on infrastructure, while silencing Palestinian voices, build on a foundation of sand. The future of Gaza must be decided by its people, not by external powers drawing maps.