Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a vision for the future of Gaza, following closely on the heels of Donald Trump’s contentious plans for the region.
The Israeli Prime Minister shared a blueprint, complete with striking CGI renderings, proposing the transformation of Gaza into an urban oasis. This plan mirrors Trump’s idea to convert Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East” which the former U.S. President announced last week during a press conference with Netanyahu.
According to The Sun, speculation is rife that Trump may have been briefed on Netanyahu’s AI-enhanced vision of Gaza. Nadav Shtrauchler, a previous strategist for Netanyahu, commented to the publication: “I think it’d been shown to Trump one way or another.
“Trump didn’t wake up in the morning and come up with the idea, there would have been routes to this, probably from Israel. It was planted somehow.”
The futuristic designs, labeled “Gaza 2035” potentially influencing Trump, depict the area adorned with avant-garde skyscrapers and connected by a 132-mile railway to NEOM.
The ambitious proposal touts “US dominance” and aims to elevate Gaza “from crisis to prosperity” by completely reconstructing the territory “from nothing”.
This revelation comes amidst the furor caused by Trump, who infamously pledged to “take over” the Gaza Strip and transform it into a luxurious Middle Eastern “Riviera”. The Republican, aged 78, faced global backlash after suggesting that displaced Palestinians should be resettled elsewhere.
Trump claimed his strategy would generate “thousands of jobs” and turn the area into a “magnificent” destination inhabited by “the world’s people”.
Trump remarked: “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll make that into an international unbelievable place. The potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable. You have to learn from history, you just can’t let it keep repeating itself.”
Among the numerous leaders to criticise these comments was Sir Keir Starmer, who reiterated his support for a two-state solution as the key to resolving the region’s issues.