Washington — A leaked proposal backed by US political operatives and Israeli-linked planners to turn Gaza into a so-called “Gaza Riviera” has sparked furious backlash, with critics condemning it as a grotesque, neo-colonial attempt to disguise ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza as modernization.
The 38-page document, known as the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust, or GREAT, proposes placing Gaza under US trusteeship for at least a decade. It paints a glossy vision of high-rise resorts, “smart cities,” and manufacturing hubs along the Mediterranean coast, but only after Palestinians have been displaced from their land.
The US and Israel plot ‘ethnic cleansing’ through fake reconstruction
At the core of the scheme lies the systematic uprooting of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. The proposal suggests that Palestinians could be pressured into surrendering their homes and farmland in exchange for worthless “digital tokens.” Those who resisted would be corralled into confined housing zones, while Israel would absorb the bulk of Gaza’s agricultural areas under the excuse of “security.”
Critics say the plan is the latest iteration of Israel’s decades-long campaign to erase Palestinians from their homeland, now repackaged by Washington’s consultants as a real estate opportunity. “This is nothing but war profiteering,” said one analyst. “First Israel destroys Gaza with American bombs, then American firms show up to sell the rubble as beachfront property.”
Colonial arrogance in the grotesque branding of Gaza
The proposal is riddled with corporate gimmicks. Among its most outlandish ideas are a “Gaza Riviera” and an “Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone.” Experts say these are more than branding ploys; they reflect a colonial arrogance that views Gaza’s land as a trophy to be carved up and auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Boston Consulting Group is cited as having involvement in the project, though the firm has refused to comment. IKEA’s name also appeared, but the Swedish retailer quickly denied any participation. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was listed as a possible financier, though observers say his name was likely included to lend the plan regional credibility.
Blatant war crime disguised as a redevelopment scheme
Legal experts did not mince words. Several called the plan “criminal” and warned it could meet the definition of ethnic cleansing under international law.
“The GREAT plan is a grotesque fusion of colonialism and corporate greed,” said a professor of international law. “It proposes to replace Palestinians with foreign investors and brands. It is not reconstruction — it is liquidation.”
By turning Gaza into a US-controlled enclave, critics argue Washington and Israel aim to permanently eliminate Palestinian sovereignty while laundering war crimes through real estate schemes.
Washington’s dirty fingerprints are all over the Gaza takeover
The plan carries clear traces of Donald Trump’s earlier musings about paying Palestinians to leave Gaza. It is no coincidence, critics argue, that the proposal emerged from the same US political circles that cheered on Israel’s War in Gaza.
By calling for a decade of US trusteeship, Washington seeks to insert itself as the long-term custodian of Gaza, sidelining Palestinians entirely. Far from promoting peace, the plan entrenches US complicity in Israel’s war, a war that has already left Gaza in ruins with tens of thousands dead.
“This is not about reconstruction,” said a Palestinian diplomat. “It is about ensuring American and Israeli control, even after the bombing stops.”
Arab world and rights groups slam US-Israeli insanity
Reaction across the Arab world and the international human rights community has been scathing. Palestinian officials called the plan “an insane cover for ethnic cleansing.” Rights groups described it as “gentrified genocide,” where skyscrapers and shopping malls are used to bury the memory of an obliterated people.
Even in Europe, diplomats expressed disbelief at the audacity of the scheme. “To suggest that Palestinians will accept digital tokens in exchange for their homeland is an insult to humanity itself,” one European envoy said.
Whitewashing genocide with US-Israeli luxury fantasies
The idea of a “Gaza Riviera” comes at a time when over 70 percent of Gaza’s housing has been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes carried out with US-made weapons. To talk of luxury hotels and smart cities in the same breath as mass graves and rubble, critics argue, is beyond cynical.
“This is disaster capitalism taken to its logical extreme,” said a Middle East analyst. “The US and Israel destroy Gaza, then they sell the land as a tourist paradise. It is gentrification written in blood.”
The leaked document shows just how far Washington and Tel Aviv are willing to go in trying to erase Palestinians under the guise of development. For millions of displaced families, the promise of “smart cities” offers no consolation, only the certainty that their homeland is being stolen once again.
Critics have slammed the so-called “Gaza Riviera” redevelopment plan, floated in White House and Israeli policy circles, as a grotesque smokescreen for ethnic cleansing. According to Middle East Eye, the scheme has been widely denounced by human rights advocates and legal experts as an “insane” attempt to erase Palestinian presence under the guise of high-tech resorts and urban makeovers. As The Guardian also reported, rights experts dismissed the plan as “insane” and “grotesque,” underscoring how the US and Israel are now attempting to launder war crimes and genocide in Gaza through glossy investment brochures and architectural renderings.
