Downward Angle Icon An icon in the shape of a downward angle. Jared Kushner speaks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 25, 2023. FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images “Gaza’s waterfront assets could be extremely valuable,” Jared Kushner said at a Harvard University event. Israel wants Palestinians to leave Gaza, but some far-right members of Israel’s ruling coalition are pushing for their expulsion.
Former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, speaking at a Harvard University event last month, praised the “invaluable” real estate opportunity in the Gaza Strip and said Israel would “cleanse” it by evicting people. suggested that it should.
At a Feb. 15 event chaired by Middle East Initiative Chairman Tarek Massoud, Kushner discussed the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
About 13 minutes into the meeting, Mr. Kushner spoke about how borders change frequently during wars, noting that as a result of Hamas’s presence in the Gaza Strip, the Gaza Strip’s neighbors (Egypt and Israel) have had to put their security “on the line.” ”, he emphasized.
“I don’t think either side really wants to have a terrorist enclave between the two countries,” Kushner said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s invasion of Gaza, which was carried out in response to the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas militants, was focused on annihilating Hamas.
More than 1,100 people were killed in the attack, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and tens of thousands more have died in Gaza since then.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, the campaign has forced more than three-quarters of Gaza’s population from their homes and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
Kushner, the son of real estate developer Charles Kushner, said at the meeting that “Gaza’s waterfront assets could be very valuable.”
Kushner, a former Trump administration adviser, called what’s happening in Gaza “a bit of an unfortunate situation.”
“From an Israeli perspective, I would do my best to get rid of people and cleanse Israel,” he said.
Kushner added: “But I don’t think Israel has said that it doesn’t want its people to go back there after that.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision for post-war Gaza includes indefinite Israeli security control and a “demilitarized” zone overseen by Palestinians not affiliated with anti-Israel groups.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that once the war with Hamas is over, Israel should not station civilians in Gaza as settlers or to administer Gaza.
However, far-right members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition government have openly advocated expelling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
According to CNN, Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, a member of the ruling coalition, said in January that “we must promote solutions that encourage the migration of Gazans.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, also a member of the coalition, said Israel must “govern” Gaza and maintain a civilian presence there, according to Barron’s News Agency.
Smotrich added that immigration should be encouraged, according to the Washington Post.
Zvi Scott, a member of Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, was perhaps the most articulate in his vision for postwar Gaza.
“First we need to take over, annex and demolish all the houses there and build a district there,” he said during a committee hearing, according to CNN.
In December, the Norwegian Refugee Council warned that “Israel’s attempt to expel and permanently deport Palestinians in and around Gaza is a serious violation of international law and constitutes an atrocity crime.”
Mr. Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, did not respond to a request for comment.
Kushner announced this month that he is partnering with Serbian authorities to build a luxury hotel in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, through Affinity Partners.
