Touristification or Trumpification?

Donald Trump’s announcement that he was going to “take over” Gaza, relocate Palestinians, and redevelop the area into the “Riviera of the Middle East” produced shock and rejection from most quarters. But perhaps people wouldn’t have been so shocked if they had read his Peace to Prosperity Plan, published  during his first tenure in the White House in 2020.

The original Trump Plan (2020)

The previous plan, which covered the West Bank and Gaza, was subtitled “A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People”. Much of this vision was based on tourism, with the  development of the Gaza coastline into “a modern metropolitan city overlooking the beach”, supported by “investment in hotels, food and beverage establishments, and other tourism-related industries”.

Of course, with much of Gaza now demolished by the Israelis, turning this area into one big resort complex  suddenly seems a lot easier. With their homes destroyed, why would any Palestinians want to stay anyway, is the Trump line of thinking.  

Optimistic growth forecasts for a sanitised Palestine in the Trump Plan

What Trump didn’t bargain for is the  stubborn refusal of the locals to leave the area and make way for his hotels. Some 500,000 Palestinians have already made the difficult journal back to northern Gaza, underlining their attachment to place, even when that place has been totally destroyed. One suspects it will take a lot more than a Trump-backed masterplan to get them to move out again. Touristification from above seems not to work very well. So the plans will have to go back into the White House Repository for a little longer.