UAE plans to bankroll first ‘planned community’ in south Gaza

[Twiglets1]

Guardian Exclusive: Blueprints describe a ‘case study’ community where residents submit biometric data to gain entry:

The United Arab Emirates plans to fund “Gaza’s first planned community” on the ruined outskirts of Rafah. Palestinian residents there will have access to basic services like education, healthcare and running water, as long as they submit to biometric data collection and security vetting, according to planning documents and people familiar with the latest round of talks at the US-led Civil Military Coordination Center in Israel.

The planned city would mark the UAE’s first investment in a postwar reconstruction project located in the part of Gaza currently held by Israel. The wealthy Gulf state has contributed more than $1.8bn of humanitarian assistance to Gaza since 7 October 2023, according to UAE state media, making it Gaza’s largest humanitarian donor.

Blueprints for the Emirati-backed endeavor are laid out in an unclassified slide deck obtained by the Guardian and first reported by Dropsite, but the UAE’s role as its planned financier has not previously been reported. The presentation was prepared for a cohort of European donors who visited the CMCC on 14 January, according to an aid official who shared details about the briefing on the condition of anonymity. Israeli military planners have given the plans their stamp of approval.

The United Arab Emirates did not comment on its decision to endorse the Board of Peace, or its plans to fund one of the first US- and Israeli-backed reconstruction projects in Gaza.

One US official said that the first Emirati-backed compound could “become a model” for a string of residential camps that US and Israeli officials have described as “alternative safe communities”.

Within the first Rafah community, billed as a “case study”, planners envision several efforts to prevent the influence of Hamas, including the introduction of electronic shekel wallets “to mitigate the diversion of goods and funds to the Hamas financial channels”, and a school curriculum that will “not be Hamas-based”, but supplied by the UAE. Planners also specify that residents will be permitted to “enter and exit the neighborhood freely, subject to security checks to prevent the introduction of weapons and hostile elements”.

A White House spokesperson said that the Emirati-backed compound would be built during the board’s initial reconstruction push.

Land-clearing efforts for the Rafah site are already under way, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told the Guardian.

“Israel’s mission on the east side of the yellow line is to clear the infrastructure in that territory, including tunnels, booby-trapped houses – all of the infrastructure left on our side,” the IDF spokesperson said.

They also said that Israel would not participate in building or running the Emirati compound. “When construction begins, that’s when the ISF participates with boots on the ground.”

A project timeline obtained by the Guardian indicates that site planning began with a “land deed” review in late October and will entail at least four to six months of preparations before construction begins.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/23/uae-funds-gaza-community

What I don’t think some people realise is that you don’t need to read in a book why so many of your people have died and your previous society decimated. And some people worry what will be in the curriculum? I wonder if they want to cleanse the history available on social media?

Yes it’s down to Hamas too, but not solely.

The UAE actually has it’s own version of ofsted, modelling education on the UAE is not a bad thing. I can’t think of any other gulf country that takes education as seriously. I imagine it will be things like STEM, literacy etc etc. things that will be useful to the children of Gaza and Gaza’s future.

People will need work, they aren’t slaves, it’s not forced labour. People would want jobs, their own money, not a sack of rice and a blanket. I know everyone in my family would be signing up after such a devastating war.

The point about the financial controls is because Hamas used to apply random taxes on people. It’s about strengthening institutions, financial controls is a key pillar of that, driving out fraud and theft etc. pretty much all gulf countries have gone through a lot of effort to control terror financing in their own countries so it’s not surprising this would be a key plank.

The security aspect is important, Hamas started executing civilians as soon as the ceasefire started. I for one would prefer to live somewhere where Hamas couldn’t bully me into having stuff in my home I didn’t want.

People need security, housing and work. It’s easy to be dismissive of it if you have these things.

It's not solely down to Hamas, and plenty of outside actors have been stupid enough to help them too. But I presume the point is that in a Gaza still under considerable Hamas control, children aren't likely to be educated about just how bad they are and the level of responsibility they bear. Whereas it's safe to say Hamas will be up for teaching the children about the Israeli role.

Basically, it's in the interests of Gazan society for children to be educated to understand what a spectacularly stupid and self harming idea the 7th October attack was. Whether the UAE will be up for that part of the challenge I don't know, but it's better than the guaranteed glorification of jihad that Hamas would like to continue providing.

Sadly they don’t need to be educated on 7/10 being a bad idea. The children and their family have lived it.

Let's hope you're right.

That may depend on if they can see a fair future for themselves in a 2SS?

That, I don't know. The previous education system didn't really excel at promoting the two state solution, after all. I can only hope some form of Gazan education system that imbues the idea is possible.

It would be helpful to reflect on how the U.S. backed attempts to develop a 2SS may not have favoured the Arabs. Of course there are some Arabs who didn’t want this, as there have been Israeli leaders - the current one included.

What’s happening in the West Bank shows that it takes Israelis to also want to have a fair 2SS.

Of course it does. Both sides need to be committed to the idea and currently, neither side is.

There will be no 2SS while Hamas exists in Gaza, it’s too dangerous to Israel & not the Hamas mindset to live peacefully.

Maybe it’s a possibility for the future. That’s the hope.

There shouldn't be total suppression of legitimate discussion of 2-state solution etc but any anti Semitism/endorsement of violence, terrorism and war crimes must be cracked down on with an iron fist.

The problem is that I'm not wholly convinced how well-placed many of the Arab countries on the board are to oversee this.

Saudi Arabian textbooks quite recently were horribly anti Semitic.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.adl.org/resources/news/saudi-textbooks-still-foment-hate-kingdoms-education-materials-are-rise-anti&ved=2ahUKEwjLvsWDjaaSAxWzVEEAHa8cExUQFnoECCUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2P_2KYokK9kgP-p4608vMB

Egypt has improved recently but there are still serious issues.

https://allarab.news/turning-the-page-on-intolerance-egypts-textbook-reforms/

Jordan has last year given out textbooks justifying October 7.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.cfr.org/articles/teaching-hate-jordan&ved=2ahUKEwjvk4TvjqaSAxX-W0EAHUU9MYEQFnoECCYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2A2-0BYtQ-urT_pHbWPMsm

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/jordanian-textbooks-justify-hamas-oct-7-massacre/&ved=2ahUKEwjw19eKj6aSAxUPQEEAHV94EOEQFnoECGIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2erMOeqMwhT8WVzVpY8xey

Qatar too : https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=combatantisemitism.org/studies-reports/qatari-school-textbooks-remain-rife-with-antisemitic-content-us-state-department-report-finds/&ved=2ahUKEwj7tsu7j6aSAxUia0EAHXDLLGwQFnoECFYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3MEAivNdz6dt2AMCOb_af7

Wanting a nation for Palestinians is NOT inherently genocidal.

The version of 'kill and/or dominate all the Jews' unquestionably IS, though- and that's what Hamas and the shameful 'Palestinian Authority' have been promoting onto generations.

I believe in a 2SS but there are many, many hills to climb first.

No Hamas, obviously. Settlements need to stop too. Hamas were obviously a far worse issue. Likud's tactics with the settlements were wrong and endangered Israel too, though.

I agree about Hamas & the Settlements also.

It does indeed. And I think that takes us back to the sort of framing a Hamas controlled education system is going to provide.

I trust Hamas to ensure full coverage of the likes of Smotrich in any schooling system they're in charge of. What they're not going to do is explain that there are multiple factions in Israeli society, that 7th October handed the lunatic fringe settlers in the West Bank a golden opportunity to steal more land, and that the attacks deliberately targeted the sort of Israeli who does want to work towards a fair two state solution. That the whole point of killing people like Vivian Silver and Shani Louk was to try and kybosh any peace process. But to move forward, Gazan children will need to understand both sides of this.

I totally agree.

I think the genocidal strand is deeply rooted, not new, and pretty dominant. But it’s absolutely not inherent.

Oh definitely, wanting a viable Palestinian and a viable Israeli state on the land is the opposite of genocidal.

It sounds like a dystopian land stealing nightmare

Those praising it can only be those who are blind to or deliberately obscuring the Israeli hand in and responsibility for the tragedy of Gaza. Because that's where we have to start.

I do wonder what you think this would look like. How we'd go from attributing whatever level of Israeli responsibility you want, to a viable rebuilding plan.

Unfortunately, it's much easier to identify the obvious risks and downsides of this UAE plan than it is to come up with viable alternatives that anyone will volunteer to do. Important to stress that being left to fester in tents is very much one of the possibilities here. The world does that to refugees who've done nothing to deserve it all the time, it's just that more people have heard about the Gazans than, say, Dadaab or Kutupalong. There is no guarantee of reconstruction and nobody else is actually obliged to help.

It’s unbelievable how some people are trying to paint this as some magnanimous solution. Gaza was already one of the most densely populated areas on earth. They’re now planning on jamming the entire population into less than half the land, away from the coast because that is where the luxury resorts are going to go. Gaza was always seen as an open air prison but this is something else now. The Palestinians formally recognised the State of Israel in 1993 giving up their claim to 78% of historical Palestine in order to reach a two state solution. Israel totally reneged on the deal and did not recognise Palestine. Israel has made it perfectly clear they will never recognise Palestine and will do everything in their power to block a two state solution. They brag about it ffs. Israel wants more land, not less. They don’t even try to hide the intention.

It’s not the UAE’s plan. It is all highlighted in the ‘new’ Gaza plan unveiled by Kushner the other day. It’s not about rebuilding Gaza. It’s about real estate development. Once again, Palestinian land has been stolen.

The last thing any of this will be is magnanimous. Any country or entity willing to invest in Gaza will be doing so because they think they can get enough out of it to make the risk worthwhile.

No one is trying to paint it as a magnanimous solution though.

Countries like the UAE who this thread is about will only pour millions/billions into Gaza if they see a likelihood of some return on their money in future.

The same goes for all other countries like the US for example.

The sad fact is wars make people rich and the reconstruction of Gaza will not be done for free. But it could be better than the alternative. As @CommonlyKnownAs the international community could just leave the refugees to fester in tents as they move into the next crisis. I don’t see that as preferable.

What’s going to happen to all the bodies buried under the rubble where these luxury resorts are going to be built. Are they going to be recovered and accounted for or simply swept up by the bulldozers clearing the rubble and simply dumped.

So their life was shitty before but now they just have to accept it is going to be even shittier. They may be able to get rid of Hamas but that is not a solution. If you don’t get rid of the reason for Hamas, it will simply manifest itself again but in another form.