US firm accused of modelling ethnic cleansing in Gaza probed by UK parliamentary committee

A US consulting firm accused of helping model plans for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza is now under formal scrutiny by a UK parliamentary committee.

Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the world’s most powerful management consultancies, has been asked to explain its role in a controversial postwar redevelopment scheme for Gaza that included cost estimates for the mass relocation of Palestinians. 

Liam Byrne MP, chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee, demanded “clarification and information” about BCG’s activities, including its work with the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a body set up with Israeli and US backing that has come under fire for whitewashing forced displacement.

According to a Financial Times investigation, BCG was hired to develop financial models for a proposed postwar reconstruction plan in Gaza. As part of that work, a team at the firm calculated the costs of “voluntarily” relocating hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the besieged enclave, an idea widely condemned by legal experts and human rights groups as a form of ethnic cleansing. 

Further revelations show that staff from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) participated in video calls and email exchanges related to the Gaza redevelopment plan. At least one internal TBI document outlining postwar scenarios for Gaza was shared with the Boston Consulting Group team during the early stages of the project. 

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Although TBI insists it did not write or approve any final proposals, its involvement in discussions, at a time when plans for mass displacement of Palestinians were being actively developed, has raised serious concerns about the role of the former UK Prime Minister who many believe should be indicted for war crimes for leading Britain into an illegal war in Iraq in 2003 under a false pretence.

BCG has since dismissed two senior partners and publicly disavowed the project, claiming it was unauthorised. But in his letter, Byrne made clear that the firm’s response to date is not sufficient. He called for a full timeline of BCG’s involvement, the names of any clients or collaborators, and details of any UK-based organisations, such as companies, NGOs or think tanks, that may have been involved.

“Who commissioned or requested this work?” Byrne asked. “Which individuals or entities did BCG engage with in this context? Is any such work ongoing or active in any form?”

The company’s ties to GHF are also being examined in the US, where Senator Elizabeth Warren has written to the State Department demanding transparency about GHF’s funding and BCG’s internal investigation. 

BCG has not denied that its staff contributed to the financial architecture of the plan, though CEO Christoph Schweizer said in a message to staff that the firm’s association with the project is “deeply troubling and reputationally very damaging.”

The UK committee has given BCG until 22 July to respond. In a short statement, the firm said: “We are aware of the request from the House of Commons Business & Trade Committee. We are reviewing the request and are committed to responding.”

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