Jared Kushner, former senior White House adviser and son-in-law of Donald Trump, has described Gaza's coastline as 'very valuable waterfront property' and suggested Israel should relocate civilians while it 'cleans up' the strip. In a recent interview at Harvard University, Kushner proposed moving Palestinians to the Negev desert in southern Israel.
Speaking at a Harvard Kennedy School event on 15 February, Kushner said: 'Gaza's waterfront property could be very valuable … if people would focus on building up livelihoods.' He criticised the investment in tunnels and munitions rather than education and innovation, calling it 'an unfortunate situation'.
Kushner stated that from Israel's perspective, he would 'do my best to move the people out and then clean it up'. He added: 'I would just bulldoze something in the Negev, I would try to move people in there … so you can go in and finish the job.' He reiterated this point, saying opening up the Negev and moving civilians would be 'the right move'.
When asked about fears that Palestinians might not be allowed to return, Kushner paused and replied: 'Maybe.' He also described the idea of a Palestinian state as 'a super bad idea', arguing it would 'reward an act of terror'. His comments offer a glimpse into potential Middle East policy should Trump return to the White House, including a possible normalisation deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
