US consulting firm modeled moving Gazans to Somalia, Somaliland — report

Boston Consulting Group, a US-based consulting firm, modeled transferring Palestinians from Gaza to Somalia and Somaliland, people familiar with the work tell the Financial Times.

According to the report, BCG consultants developed the model for a group of Israeli businessmen who were developing plans for rebuilding Gaza after the war with Hamas.

The model included a slide deck that predicted 25 percent of Gazans would want to leave the Strip, and a majority would not want to return.

“By accepting the Gazans who relocate temporarily and voluntarily, a country will get an injection of population that will have an economic benefit that clearly could be significant,” a person familiar with the work tells the Times. “But the countries in the model were not picked based on a knowledge of specific discussions. The idea was to understand the economic issues related to options that President [Donald] Trump had put on the table.”

BCG helped create the controversial US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that runs aid distribution sites in the enclave.

Trump earlier this year floated plans to move Gazans to third countries while the Strip was developed into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Although no apparent progress has been made on the plans, it has garnered support from some Israeli ministers and was roundly condemned by the Arab world and Western countries.