A farce called ‘peace plan’

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has finally unveiled his much-touted 20-point plan for a ceasefire in Gaza, which he describes as a landmark deal to end two years of a devastating war.

But in reality, it’s a document of surrender for the Palestinian resistance against a brutal occupation. It has sanctified the genocide, carried out by the Zionist forces, which has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, and has uprooted the entire population of the occupied land.

In fact, it’s a declaration of victory for a state accused of war crimes. Former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have played a key role in preparing the so-called peace plan. Kushner was also the driving force behind the Abraham Accords during Trump’s first term as president.

For his part, Blair, as prime minister, had actively supported the American-led invasion and occupation of Iraq based on false claims of the regime possessing weapons of mass destruction. Many in the Arab world and also in Britain regard him as a war criminal, too.

Unsurprisingly, Israel immediately accepted the latest American plan. Standing, alongside Trump at a press conference, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been accused of committing crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, had nothing but praise for the US leader who said, “Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas”. The plan has justifiably been termed as the ‘Trump-Netanyahu plan’ to ensure Israel’s military dominance in the region.

The Gaza peace plan has further emboldened Israel.

Hamas has been given a 72-hour ultimatum to accept the plan, which the group was never consulted on, and release the remaining hostages and return the bodies of the ones who died in its custody. Ironically, the Palestinians, who are the aggrieved party, were not consulted on the so-called peace plan, which is meant to decide their fate. The leaders of major Arab and Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, have already given their approval to the plan which, many analysts contend, would place Gaza under colonial rule.

There is only a vague mention of the possibility of an independent Palestinian entity in the unforeseeable future. Israel has already rejected the idea of a separate Palestinian state. Though Israel has been stopped from annexing the West Bank, some hard-line Israeli ministers have threatened to do so.

According to the Gaza plan, the war would immediately end after the exchange of prisoners. Israeli forces are only supposed to withdraw to the agreed-upon line to prepare for hostage release. During this time, “all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal”.

Also, “Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries”. This is more or less a call for a complete surrender of the group, which heads the Pales­tinian resistance against the Zionist occupation.

There would be no role for Hamas in the post-war administrative set-up in the occupied territory. Even the Palestinian Authority, which controls the occupied West Bank, has not been assigned any role in the post war set-up. That practically brings to an end the concept of a Palestinian state. Palestinian groups have been kept out of the post war set-up altogether.

However, the complete implementation even of the “staged withdrawal” of the occupying forces remains uncertain given Israel’s bellicosity. In fact, the plan has further emboldened Israel, which is being ruled by extreme right groups that openly advocate for the establishment of a ‘Greater Israel’, with no place for a separate Palestinian state.

According to the American plan, “Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Pale­stinian committee” under the supervision of a new international transitional body, the ‘Board of Peace’, to be headed by Trump and others including Blair. That would practically give America control of the occupied territory for an indefinite period. Some analysts believe the proposal is not very different from Trump’s suggestion in February to put Gaza under US control so that the enclave could be turned into a Riviera.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary ‘International Stabilisation Force’ to be deployed in Gaza. Besides, its main job of maintaining law and order, the ISF will also train and provide support to newly formed Palestinian police forces in Gaza.

The ISF would comprise troops from various Muslim countries. According to some reports, the main bulk of the troops would come from Indonesia and Pakistan, the two largest Muslim-majority nations. It may be the reason for Trump’s adulation of Pakistan’s prime minister and army chief. It is evident that Pakistan was taken into confidence on the plan by Trump.

The Israeli security forces will stay in the enclave till the ISF has taken control, but would still have “a security perimeter presence … until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat”.

Surely the ceasefire will end the relentless killing and destruction perpetrated by the Israeli forces and allow in much-needed humanitarian aid. But the main question is whether the American plan can establish long-term peace in the region without formally recognising the right of the Palestinian people to an independent state.

Hamas might be disarmed but what about those in Gaza who lost family members to the genocide that has been raging for two years now? The anger of a whole generation of Palestinians, who have only seen death and hunger, will not be contained. The controversial plan will lead to greater discontent and uncertainty. Palestinians have rightly rejected the American plan as a farce.

The writer is an author and journalist.

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X: @hidhussain

Published in Brackly News, October 1st, 2025