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The fundamental question remains: could this project establish genuine peace and lasting regional stability?
By SALEM ALKETBI MARCH 12, 2025 00:57
Palestinian fishermen work along the coast of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, last November. Gaza’s coastal position offers not only aesthetic value but substantial economic potential, the writer maintains.
(photo credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS)
Since US President Donald Trump announced his plan to transform the Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” this idea has captured widespread attention. Some view it as an opportunity to rebuild the devastated territory, while others consider it unrealistic and potentially destabilizing for the region.
After Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians to Egypt or Jordan failed, a new concept emerged on a limited scale: temporarily relocating Palestinians to the Negev Desert within Israel. This alternative emerged not from the president himself but after Arab countries refused to accept Palestinian refugees. The critical question remains: does this solution offer a practical option, or will it further complicate the situation?
Trump stressed Gaza’s prime spot on the Mediterranean Sea. During a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president stated: “We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal: [to make Gaza] the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Gaza’s coastal position offers not only aesthetic value but substantial economic potential. With proper reconstruction, it could transform into an international tourism hub attracting global investors and visitors. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, previously described Gaza’s waterfront as “very valuable,” noting its real estate significance if development focused on creating sustainable livelihoods.
How might this theoretical value transform into concrete reality? Trump’s proposal primarily focuses on developing Gaza’s coastal strip into a vibrant commercial and tourism center, particularly through constructing an international seaport. Such a port would connect Gaza with Mediterranean countries and revitalize trade and investment, creating thousands of jobs for Palestinian youth and reducing the currently excessive unemployment rate of 50%.
With comprehensive infrastructure support, this initiative could fundamentally transform Gaza’s economy by stimulating logistics, tourism, and manufacturing sectors, especially with Arab and Gulf companies willing to finance reconstruction efforts.
The coastal development could complement interior reconstruction through Arab and Gulf funding, establishing world-class hospitals, schools, and universities, and restoring Gaza to its former prosperity.
This vision offers Palestinians hope for a thriving future, potentially surpassing the conditions in various Arab countries facing chronic economic crises without comparable support opportunities, such as Yemen, Lebanon, or Sudan. Current statistics indicate 90% of Gaza’s population depends on humanitarian aid.
Economic prosperity could restore social stability and reduce tensions, though this requires international guarantees against terrorist activities, politicization of development projects, and misappropriation of aid – problems that have consistently plagued previous efforts. Success demands a Palestinian-Arab-international partnership focused on sustainable development beyond temporary solutions.
The challenge extends beyond potential to current reality. A September 2024 UN report indicates that approximately 70% of Gaza’s buildings suffered damage or destruction during the 15-month conflict. Reconstruction costs are estimated to reach $53 billion, including $20 billion during the initial three years. This figure reflects Gaza’s profound humanitarian and economic crisis.
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UN estimates suggest Gaza may require thirty years to restore conditions to what they were before October 7, 2023 – before the Hamas terror attack supported by Iran that triggered Israeli military response following the massacre of unarmed Jewish civilians and Arab residents in Israel.
Arab countries, particularly Egypt and Jordan, responded extremely negatively to Trump’s proposal, firmly rejecting any Palestinian resettlement on their territories. They believe this approach would complicate Palestinian issue resolution and create an unwelcome new regional reality. Historical precedents suggest such population movements could destabilize host countries’ economic, social, and security conditions. Palestinians themselves condemned the idea.
Trump as a dealmaker
Trump’s “Riviera of the Middle East” reflects his dealmaker perspective. However, Palestinians and Arabs universally rejected this vision as “ethnic cleansing” and illegal under international legal frameworks.
Despite political, security, and humanitarian hurdles, the “Gaza Riviera” project holds large economic promise. Success requires extensive regional and international cooperation, alongside firm guarantees for Palestinian rights. Israel must evaluate this proposal through not only economic, but also humanitarian and political lenses.
The fundamental question remains: could this project establish genuine peace and lasting regional stability?
The writer is a UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate.
English (US) ·