Palestinians in Gaza say they are determined to rebuild their own restaurants and hotels along the coastal strip, rejecting US President Donald Trump's idea of creating a "Middle Eastern Riviera" that would be emptied of its population and under US control, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Before Israel's 15-month offensive left buildings in ruins across Gaza, the densely populated Palestinian territory was developing local tourism on its Mediterranean coast despite a long blockade.
"There is nothing that cannot be fixed," said Gaza resident Assad Abu Haseira, vowing to start serving food from the restaurant he owns even before it is rebuilt.
"Trump says he wants to change restaurants, he wants to change Gaza and he wants to create a new history of Gaza. We remain Arabs and the history of the Arabs will not be replaced by the history of foreigners."
Other Palestinians also share his open rebellion. Mohammed Abu Haseira, another restaurant owner, said his eatery would reopen "and much better than before."
"Trump came out with a decision that he wanted to build restaurants, but the restaurants are here and the hotels are here. Why did they have to be destroyed to build others?" he said.
Gaza was once a popular destination for Israeli tourists, and even after the takeover of the territory by the Islamist movement "Hamas" in 2007, beachside restaurants and cafes lined the seafront.
Trump's vision of the Gaza Strip as an international resort revived an idea previously floated by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. It was condemned around the world, with critics saying it would amount to ethnic cleansing and be illegal under international law. Gazans were also quick to denounce the scheme, vowing never to leave their homeland, even though their homes there are in ruins.
For Palestinians, such talk is reminiscent of the "Nakba", or catastrophe after the 1948 war that created the State of Israel, when 700,000 people fled or were forced from their homes.