US President Donald Trump’s administration is advancing a controversial plan to build what US officials called “Alternate Safe Communities” for displaced Palestinians inside the Israeli-controlled areas in Gaza that make up half of the strip, The Atlantic reported on 10 November.
According to The Atlantic, the initiative envisions a string of US-backed settlements for Palestinians screened and approved by Israel’s domestic intelligence service. Anyone – or their relatives – found to be affiliated with or supportive of Hamas would be barred from entry, effectively separating them from the majority still living under Hamas administration on the western side of what Israeli troops now call the “yellow line.” Those who cross this barrier without authorization have been repeatedly shot at by Israeli soldiers.
Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, tasked with executing Trump’s post-war “peace plan,” told officials that each community would include temporary housing for up to 25,000 people, along with schools and clinics.
A US engineering firm, Tetra Tech, has reportedly received the first contract to clear rubble and ordnance at a pilot site near Rafah.
Hellbound and Down 