Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Future Investment Initiative Institute Priority conference in Miami on February 20. Bloomberg
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Future Investment Initiative Institute Priority conference in Miami on February 20. Bloomberg
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Future Investment Initiative Institute Priority conference in Miami on February 20. Bloomberg
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Future Investment Initiative Institute Priority conference in Miami on February 20. Bloomberg

Residents displaced under Trump’s Gaza plan could have right to return, US envoy suggests


Cody Combs
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday suggested that residents displaced from Gaza under Washington’s plan to empty the Palestinian territory could be allowed back, which the US leader had previously ruled out.

Speaking to Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has previously said Gaza is “very valuable waterfront property”, Mr Witkoff described his recent visit to Gaza.

“I sat in Gaza with a bulletproof vest on looking at the scenery there, Jared," he said. "And I don’t know why anyone would want to live there today. I don’t. It’s illogical to me. Doesn’t mean, by the way, that you can’t have some sort of right to return, if that’s the policy prescription that works for people.”

Mr Trump drew outrage in the Middle East when he said this month that Palestinians would not be allowed to, nor would they even want to, return to Gaza once it is rebuilt because by then they would be happily resettled in a “beautiful” new location.

Mr Witkoff said the plan for Gaza was not about evicting Palestinians but about creating a better future for them.

“When the President talks about this, it means he wants to shake up everyone's thinking, and think about what is compelling and what is the best solution for the Palestinian people,” he told the FII Priority Summit in Miami.

"It's going to take a lot of clean-up and imagination, and a great master plan, and that doesn't mean we're on an eviction plan, when the President talks about this. ... It means he wants to shake up everyone's thinking, and think about what is compelling and what is the best solution for the Palestinian people."

FII is the Saudi non-profit run by the country's sovereign wealth fund, the PIF.

Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
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RESULTS
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The%20specs%20
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In numbers

1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:

  • 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
  • 150 tonnes to landfill
  • 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal

800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal

Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year

25 staff on site

 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWilliam%20Friedkin%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKiefer%20Sutherland%2C%20Jason%20Clarke%2C%20Jake%20Lacy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule

 

  • 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
  • 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
  • 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Brief scoreline:

Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first

England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66

South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

Updated: February 21, 2025, 2:21 PM