US wants to decide the fate of Gaza with property magnates

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said a summit will soon be held with real estate developers and planners in the region to discuss the administration’s relocation plan for Gaza.

Speaking at an event in Washington on Tuesday evening, Witkoff said, “We’re going to be holding a summit very soon with probably the largest developers in the Middle East region, many of the Arab developers, a lot of the master planners. I think people are going to be amazed at some of the ideas coming out of that.”

Witkoff, a long-time friend of Trump, did not provide further details, including where and when the summit would take place. The Wall Street Journal has previously reported on his discussions about such a meeting.

Witkoff said Trump believes it is time to bring “new solutions to the Middle East’s most polarizing conflict.”

The US official added that several countries had approached the United States to be part of “some kind of lasting solution” for the residents of war-torn Gaza.

Trump has proposed that the United States seize the Gaza Strip and turn it into the Middle East’s “Riviera” by relocating Gazans to Arab countries.

The proposal was greeted with concern in Middle Eastern capitals and beyond, with many rejecting the displacement of Palestinians and critics calling it ethnic cleansing and a violation of international law.

Witkoff, who plans to return to the Middle East this week, claimed that “there is no talk of an evacuation plan” for Gazans, but said it was impractical for them to stay for the 10 to 15 years the US government believes will be needed to properly rebuild the coastal region.

Describing Gaza as a “giant slum” devastated by the nearly 16-month occupation, he argued that a long-term redevelopment plan was needed.

“In the meantime, there are a lot of countries out there… that are saying, hey, look, we would love to be part of some kind of permanent solution for the people of Gaza,” Witkoff claimed.