World
Jared Kushner presents plan for ‘New Gaza’ at Davos as Trump launches Board of Peace with Israel absent
JTA – Jared Kushner presented a phased vision for the future of Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, 22 January, saying that there was “no plan B” when it comes to reconstructing the territory battered during the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
Kushner, United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor, was crucial to negotiating the ceasefire that ended active fighting in the war in October.
The 20-point vision he presented in Davos reflects elements of that ceasefire deal, which has been only partially implemented. It calls for starting at the enclave’s southern border by reopening the Rafah crossing and moving steadily northward until the entire Palestinian territory has been rebuilt, to include a seaport, airport, and tourism infrastructure. The end result, according to a slide he presented, would be “peace & prosperity”.
Kushner said the most important step was to disarm Hamas, which still controls a portion of Gaza. Emphasising that reconstruction would take place only in portions of Gaza where Hamas is demilitarised, he said some Hamas members who agreed to lay down their arms would be given amnesty and could become part of a new security apparatus in Gaza.
Kushner suggested that he understood that his vision, which would take many years and cost at least $25 billion (R404.9 billion) to implement, could encounter obstacles. But the White House had decided to “plan for catastrophic success”.
Kushner’s presentation came as Trump held a “signing ceremony” for his new “Board of Peace,” an entity devised initially to oversee Gaza but whose mandate Trump has indicated could include other world conflicts. Its charter doesn’t mention Gaza specifically. Of the 60 countries that the US invited to join, representatives from about 20 attended the ceremony, including Hungary’s Viktor Orbán; Argentina’s Javier Milei; and officials from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Orbán was the only European leader present. Other European countries have turned down the invitation to join the board or expressed concerns about its composition – potentially to include Russia and potentially to undercut other international bodies about which Trump has expressed disdain.
Israel also didn’t have a representative at the ceremony. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would join despite misgivings about the presence of Turkey and Qatar, which have backed Hamas, on the board. Netanyahu isn’t in Davos – Switzerland is party to the International Criminal Court, which has issued a warrant for his arrest – but Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is present, didn’t attend.
The Egyptian official at the ceremony announced that the crossing at Rafah, which has been closed since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, would reopen in both directions next week. Israel has said it wouldn’t open the crossing until the final Israeli hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, was returned, which Hamas agreed to do as part of the ceasefire.
Kushner urged those who have expressed scepticism about the board to hold their criticism. “Just calm down for 30 days,” he said. “The war is over. Let’s work together.”
Francois Theron
January 24, 2026 at 1:30 pm
The Kushner-Trump plan for Gaza sounds like a real estate “deal” (one of two of Trump’s favourite words along with “tariffs”). It does not sound like a relief plan to bring succour to the wounded, desperate and beaten down Gazans. What is needed is a Marshall Plan administered by the UN and vetted NGOs.
Kusher and Trump should be kept completely out of the reconstruction of Gaza. They clearly see it as mechanism for generating money. Already there’s a red flag: the US$1 billion payable for membership of the Board of Peace. The fact that Trump is to administer these fees and that he is to be Chair of the Board for life with veto powers gives the game away. Trump is a vile character but to descend to the level of personally profiting from the horrific suffering of the Gazans is beyond shocking. Trump, as Alastair Campbell said, is a “monster”, (in The Rest is Politics podcast with Rory Steward, 23 January 2026).
Incidentally, it can be doubted if any of those mostly dictators and autocrats who attended the Board’s launch actually paid the US$1 billion. That’s not how international relations work.
The Board of Peace lacks legitimacy apart from being a giant scam. The Board, which should only concern itself with Gaza, not the entire world, now suddenly a Trumpian “region”, should consist in equal numbers of Israeli and Palestinian officials (maybe of Cabinet rank but not necessarily) which would be in itself an exercise in overdue cooperation. Also included should be representatives of the UNSG and UNDP as well as UNRWA. No “super or great power” should be on the Board (recipe for conflict and interference). However, maybe three to six “middle powers” could be included with Canada as a first choice. They would bring substance in the sense not only of resources but specifically political and diplomatic support.
As for the Trumpian geopolitics, hitherto, based on the latest US National Security Strategy, which a former US diplomat described as “disastrously dumb” (The Independent, 12 December 2025), the impression had been that the world was to be divided into three spheres of influence: the Western Hemisphere, again with Trump as boss, remember Maduro; Russia; and China. Europe appears to have been left in the cold. Indeed, the Greenland fiasco may have been more about wrecking NATO and leaving EU-Europe to its fate (read: to the Kremlin) than about territorial acquisition. The Middle East would probably be divided between satellites of Russia and the United States. Africa, as far as can be discerned would be a source of plunder. Being full of contradiction, Asia-Pacific seems to fall under a US anti-China defence shield.
Now with the Board of Peace, it seems Trump wants to co-rule the entire world although the Board system could overlap with the spheres of influence. With strongmen in charge of global politics, the entire world would become a source of plunder which in itself would lead to conflict. Putin is already occupying vast tracts of the Sahel and CAR with his Africa Corps.
Being a megalomaniac project, Trump’s version of the Board is bound to, how did Archbishop Tutu put it, bite the dust, this time hopefully along with Trump and Kushner.