Vision for Gaza faces obstacles

JERUSALEM — Modern cities with sleek high-rises, a pristine coastline that attracts tourists and a state-of-the-art port that juts into the Mediterranean. This is what Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's Middle East adviser, says Gaza could become, according to a presentation he gave at an economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Kushner spoke as Trump and an assortment of leaders gathered to ratify the charter of the Board of Peace, the body that will oversee the Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction process.

The project has stirred misgivings that it could undermine the UN's role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution as experts raised questions about how the board would eventually look and whether the vision for Gaza works.

Major European nations have shunned the board and voiced support for the UN Charter.

European Council President Antonio Costa said after the council's emergency summit concluded shortly after midnight on Thursday that the European Union will defend itself against any form of coercion.

Costa said at a news conference that the EU has serious doubts about many elements of the Board of Peace, including its scope, governance and compatibility with the UN Charter.

He also said the bloc will continue to protect its interests, including those of its member states, citizens and businesses, against any attempts at pressure.

Spain will not take part in the Board of Peace initiative to tackle global conflicts, saying the decision is consistent with its belief in multilateralism and the United Nations system.

"We appreciate the invitation, but we decline," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters late on Thursday after the EU summit in Brussels.

Ayman Yousef, a professor of international relations at the Arab American University in Jenin, the West Bank, told China Daily that the US president's plan and the formation of all these bodies "will weaken the UN and weaken its mission and bodies. And weaken also the legal decisions and resolutions given by the UN regarding the Palestinian question".

Doubts remain

In a 10-minute speech on Thursday, Kushner said it would be possible — if there's security — to quickly rebuild Gaza's cities, which are now in ruins after more than two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas.

"In the Middle East, they build cities like this … in three years," said Kushner, who helped broker the ceasefire in place since October. "And so stuff like this is very doable, if we make it happen."

That timeline is at odds with what the United Nations and Palestinians expect will be a very long process to rehabilitate Gaza.

The United Nations Office for Project Services says Gaza has more than 60 million metric tons of rubble, enough to fill nearly 3,000 container ships. That will take over seven years to clear, it says, and then additional time will be needed for demining.

Rights groups say rubble clearance and demining activities have not begun in earnest in the zone where most Palestinians live because Israel has prevented the entry of heavy machinery.

Nomi Bar-Yaacov, an international lawyer and expert on conflict resolution, described the board's initial concept for redeveloping Gaza as "unrealistic".

A project with so many high-rise buildings would never be acceptable to Israel because each would provide a clear view of its military bases near the border, said Bar-Yaacov, an associate fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

"This thing doesn't have the bandwidth and doesn't have the set of guiding principles that would enable serious countries to join," said Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East negotiator now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Jan Yumul in Hong Kong contributed to this story.