Is there anyone — anyone at all? — who honestly believes it was a coincidence that, immediately following Donald Trump’s sales pitch and signing ceremony for about 20 suckers . . . er, members . . . for his newly-formed “Board of Peace,” his son-in-law, realtor Jared Kushner, did his own little dog-and-pony show, announcing a “masterplan” for the rebuilding of Gaza?

Or that the plan begins with a “coastal tourism” zone with room for up to 180 skyscrapers, many likely earmarked as hotels? [Andrew Carey, CNN, January 22, 2026.]

And a residential zone consisting of high-end homes and apartments, schools and medical facilities to accommodate . . . whom? Certainly not the impoverished, starving people battered by more than two years of relentless attacks.

As presented by Kushner, the rebuilt region would be a new Dubai — yet another Middle Eastern playground for the rich and corrupt. And the plan is non-negotiable. Speaking on behalf of his father-in-law and the “Board of Peace,” he said:

“We have a masterplan. . . . There is no Plan B. If Hamas does not demilitarize, that will be what holds back the people of Gaza from achieving their aspirations.” [Id.]

“Their” aspirations? Really? I should think the only thing the people of Gaza are aspiring to right now is surviving: having sufficient food, water, medical care and shelter to stay alive. And maybe, if they’re very lucky, jobs to allow them to afford those basic necessities.

But this is a representation of what Trump & Co. have in mind:

The so-called master plan would be comprised of two urban developments, to be known as New Rafah and New Gaza.

“New Rafah” would offer more than 100,000 permanent housing units, over 200 schools, and more than 75 medical facilities. While that sounds good, consider that there are an estimated two million people living in the whole of the Gaza Strip, with nearly half of them still in the devastated northern region — and not a single one likely to be able to afford one of the new housing units.

Furthermore, with completion of construction estimated to take between two and three years (at best), how are they supposed to survive in the meantime? Has any provision been discussed by Kushner’s development company for livable refugee camps, mobile home communities, or any sort of interim accommodations? I suppose that will be up to someone else — certainly not the “Board of Peace.”

Then there is the second area, “New Gaza” — a center of industry, supposedly providing 100% full employment. But what sort of employment, and for whom? Who will retrain the local citizens for jobs in the region’s new high-tech industries or the five-star hotels and resorts? Or will they simply be consigned to the lower-level, lower-paying jobs, further ensuring their inability to afford that beautiful new housing?

Finally, Kushner came to the question of who would be paying for this dream city of the future, and the answer was: “Governments.” Remember those billion-dollar admission fees to the Board of Peace? But even if as many as 50 countries were to sign up for it, it wouldn’t be nearly enough to finance a project of this scope.

So Kushner then launched an appeal to — surprise! — the private sector, promising “amazing investment opportunities.” He told his audience of daddy-in-law’s billionaire friends:

“I know it’s a little risky to be investing in a place like this, but we need you to come, take faith, invest in the people.” [Id.]

“A little risky,” he said. “A little risky”??!!! Even to the Musks, the Bezoses, and the Zuckerbergs of the world, this has to look like what it really is: another pie-in-the-sky dream designed to boost Donald Trump’s ego and his net worth . . . and possibly win him that elusive Nobel Prize. Still, taking risks is what earned each of them their first million . . .

*. *. *

Senior Palestinian officials have yet to react to the plan. But Ramy Abdu, the Palestinian founder of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor group, posted this on X:

“Palestinians face a plan to eliminate their very presence, based on domestication, subjugation, and control.”

And there you have it: Plan A. At the moment, there is no Plan B.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/24/26