The proposal apparently used by US President Donald Trump to come up with his controversial idea about a "Gaza Riviera" actually sounds appealing.

Media reports suggest Trump's idea was based on a 49-page document drawn up by Washington-based economics professor Joseph Pelzman last summer. His plan for Gaza included renewable energy, a light rail system, airports and harbors, digital governance and beachfront hotels.

Reconstruction is clearly necessary in Gaza. After over a year of Israeli bombardment — retaliation for the October 7, 2023, attacks by the Gaza-based militant group, Hamas — much of the enclave is in ruins. A fragile ceasefire is in effect.

But in order to make his plan happen, Gaza needs to be "completely emptied out," Pelzman said during a podcast last August. The US "can lean on Egypt" to accept refugees from Gaza because the country is in debt to the US, he suggested.

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Trump appears to have been convinced. That's despite some major problems with the plan. There are questions as to who would finance such a grand design. And then there's convincing around 2 million Palestinians to leave their homes and never return, something that could be classified as ethnic cleansing.

Most governments in the Middle East have condemned the idea. Egypt and Jordan, countries Trump suggested could host millions of Palestinians, are not happy........

© Deutsche Welle