The current cease fire in Gaza has given the world hope that the war will end. Yet the extensive destruction suggests that only a massive rebuilding project can make it livable again. Recognizing this, President Donald Trump has offered various proposals for Gaza’s redevelopment. His self-proclaimed “natural instinct as a real estate person” is meant to be evident in these plans. Trump is not, however, the first New York real estate developer to suggest external development and management of the area.
Over a century ago, another New York real estate magnate weighed in on the future of this land. Manhattan developer Henry Morgenthau Sr., whose donations to Woodrow Wilson’s presidential campaign earned him the Ambassadorship to the Ottoman Empire in 1913, helped forge the political tradition of outsiders advocating for some form of external control of the region—a tradition that has bred mistrust among its people and has been disastrous for their interests.
Morgenthau began his tenure as ambassador doing what he expected to do, which was to aid U.S. missionary and business interests in the Ottoman lands. He toured Palestinian lands in April 1914 and, like many American visitors of the era, was captivated by the holy sites but found the region’s poverty off-putting. As World War I commenced, his job became far different. He funneled money to support American-affiliated interests in the region, including Zionist colonists who had lost nearly all forms of income because of the war.
In 1916, Morgenthau resigned in despair, having been able to do little to stop the massacre of Armenians, and returned home to help Wilson’s re-election campaign. He went on a speaking tour of the United States, with numerous organizations feting him for his wartime humanitarianism. In these speeches, Morgenthau discussed his plan for Palestine, declaring that “Jews and Christians should unite in the purchase of this sacred land.” Claiming to have already discussed this with receptive Ottoman leaders, he contended that “once purchased, Palestine should be turned into a small free republic or an international park, in whose government the Christian nations of the world would participate.” Developers would construct a large new harbor in Jaffa and tourists would stream in.