GAZA CITY: Palestinians in Gaza remain resolute in their determination to rebuild their own seafront restaurants and hotels, rejecting former US President Donald Trump’s vision of transforming the region into a “Riviera of the Middle East” under American influence and without its native population.
Before Israel’s prolonged offensive devastated much of Gaza’s infrastructure, the densely populated Palestinian territory had developed a thriving local tourism industry along its Mediterranean coastline, despite years of blockade.
“There is nothing that cannot be restored,” said Assad Abu Haseira, a restaurant owner in Gaza, vowing to resume serving food even before reconstructing his establishment.
“Trump wants to redesign Gaza, erase its history, and create a new one. But we will remain Arabs, and our history cannot be replaced,” he asserted.
Many others in Gaza share this sentiment. Mohammed Abu Haseira, another restaurateur, reaffirmed his commitment to reopening, stating, “Trump talks about building restaurants, but we already had them. Why destroy them just to build new ones?”
Gaza was once a favored destination for Israeli tourists, and even after Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, beachside restaurants and cafés remained a defining feature of its seafront.
Trump’s proposal to depopulate Gaza and redevelop it as a high-end international resort echoes a concept previously suggested by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The idea has been widely condemned, with critics labeling it as ethnic cleansing and a violation of international law. Gazans have also rejected the notion outright, pledging to remain and rebuild rather than abandon their homeland.
For Palestinians, such plans evoke memories of the “Nakba” or catastrophe of 1948, when approximately 700,000 Palestinians were displaced during the establishment of Israel.
