‘Real estate person at heart’: At Board of Peace event, Trump calls Gaza beautiful piece of property
US President Donald Trump on Thursday described Gaza as a “beautiful piece of property” and said he is a “real estate person at heart” while outlining his administration’s vision for rebuilding the war-torn Palestinian enclave.Speaking at the Board of Peace ceremony on the sidelines of the Davos forum, Trump emphasised location as central to his plan for reconstruction.
“I’m a real estate person at heart, and it’s all about location. And I said, Look at this location on the sea. Look at this beautiful piece of property. What it could be for so many people. It’ll be so so great,” Trump said.“People are going to be living so well. But it all began with a location – that’s the vision. They look out on the waters. And very few people are – very few places are like it,” he added, according to CNN. Trump also highlighted the international support for his peace initiative, highlighting that 59 countries are taking part in initiatives aimed at securing peace in the Middle East.He indicated confidence in Hamas’ compliance with the ceasefire, saying, “If Hamas doesn’t do what they promised they will do – I think they probably will – but they were born with rifles in their hands.”Last year, Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which saw the release of Israeli hostages and a fragile calm return to Gaza. Despite the ceasefire, violence and humanitarian challenges continue in Gaza, with reports of Israeli fire, aid restrictions, food insecurity, flash floods and child deaths due to hypothermia.At the Davos event, Trump also signed the charter of the “Board of Peace”, claiming that “everybody” wanted to be a part of the board and it was “running beautifully”.
Jared Kushner outlines ‘New Gaza’ vision
Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner also addressed the event, presenting a blueprint for Gaza’s redevelopment under the Board of Peace. He highlighted security and investment as priorities, saying, “The number one thing is going to be security – obviously we’re working very closely with the Israelis to figure out a way to de-escalate, and the next phase is working with Hamas on demilitarisation.”
Kushner stressed the role of investments in rebuilding the region. “Without security, nobody’s going to make investments, nobody’s gonna come build there. We need investments in order to start giving jobs,” he said.Using slides and visuals, Kushner showcased a “New Gaza” with futuristic coastal high-rises and tourism zones, alongside plans for 100,000 housing units in Rafah, according to Al-Jazera. “New Gaza, it could be a hope, it could be a destination. We’ve made several impossible things happen just in Gaza today, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to make even more impossible things happen,” he said.Kushner acknowledged the challenges of translating ceasefire agreements into lasting peace: “As you guys know, peace is a different deal than a business deal, because you’re changing a mindset. We needed to think about what do we do next, how do we change the habits, how do we change the behaviours?”He added that the US-backed plan would use “free market principles” to reduce Gaza’s dependence on foreign aid. Kushner concluded with a call for collaboration, urging nations to “just calm down for 30 days… Let’s do our best to try working together. Our goal here is peace between Israel and the Palestinian people.”Trump described the ceasefire as a triumph for Israel and the world, claiming the US has maintained the Gaza ceasefire and delivered record levels of humanitarian aid.He also framed Gaza’s redevelopment as part of a broader vision for the Middle East, while hinting at future US initiatives in Lebanon and other conflict zones.
