Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, has said a summit will soon be held with real estate developers and planners from the region to discuss the administration’s plans for Gaza.
The plans, which Mr Trump first outlined during a media conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, include the displacement of about 2.3 million Palestinians and the construction of a "Riviera of the Middle East".
“We’re going to conduct a summit pretty soon with probably the biggest developers in the Middle East region, many of the Arab developers – lots of master planners,” Mr Witkoff said at a recent event in Washington. “I think when people see some of the ideas that come from this, they’re going to be amazed.”
Mr Witkoff, a long-time friend and campaign donor to Mr Trump, did not provide further details at the event on Tuesday night, including where or when the summit would take place.
He said Mr Trump believed it was time for new solutions to the region’s longest and most polarising conflict, and that many countries had contacted the US to be part of “some sort of permanent solution” for the residents of war-torn Gaza.
The first phase of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel is in its final days, with the militant group releasing the bodies of four hostages held in Gaza in exchange for about 600 Palestinian detainees.
It is hoped that during the second phase of the ceasefire, the 57 remaining hostages will be released, Israel will fully withdraw from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire will be put in place.
Mr Trump's plans for Gaza have beet met with alarm and outrage across the Middle East, with many rejecting the displacement of Palestinians and critics likening it to ethnic cleansing and a breach of international law.
Mr Witkoff said on Tuesday that “we’re not talking about an eviction” plan for Gazans. But he said it was impractical for them to stay in the enclave over the course of the 10 to 15 years the US government thinks it will take to properly rebuild the coastal enclave.
During the event on Tuesday, Mr Witkoff said that if ceasefire talks show progress, he may travel to the region on Sunday “to execute and finish an arrangement", according to The Hill.
