Trump's Gaza plan is a rebuff to Israeli extremists, but will soon be put to test

"It envisages a unified Palestinian-run Gaza, which represents a rebuff to the aims of Israeli extremists, including some in the governing coalition, who have sought the deportation of Gaza's population and the building of Israeli settlements in its place. The plan's success will depend largely on whether Trump and his board of peace has the determination to implement the plan, overcoming Israeli objections and obstruction and whether a mechanism can be created inside Gaza to oversee the disarming of Hamas."

"A slideshow presented in Davos by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner imagined a futuristic dreamscape of gleaming apartment blocks and office towers, with neat industrial parks and residential districts and even an airport. The territory had a slice taken off it to create a buffer zone along the Israeli border, and was treated as blank slate, ignoring the property rights of generations of Palestinians, but it was a move away from a partition between Hamas and Israeli-run halves."

"The plan also spelled out more achievable promises for the next 100 days, including the restoration of basic infrastructure including water, sewage and electric systems, hospitals and bakeries together with a significant increase in the flow of goods entering Gaza. The critical Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is due to open for traffic next week, for the first time since Israeli troops seized control of it in May 2024."

The United States proposed a comprehensive blueprint for Gaza combining ambitious long-term reconstruction with immediate humanitarian and infrastructure goals. The plan envisions a unified Palestinian-run Gaza, rejecting proposals to deport residents or replace them with Israeli settlements. Implementation hinges on US determination to overcome Israeli objections and on establishing a mechanism inside Gaza to disarm Hamas. A Kushner-presented vision shows gleaming apartment blocks, industrial parks, residential districts, an airport, and a buffer zone along the Israeli border, while ignoring longstanding Palestinian property claims. Short-term measures focus on restoring water, sewage, electricity, hospitals, bakeries, and increasing goods flow, with the Rafah crossing set to reopen.

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