President Donald Trump’s 20-point “peace plan” for Gaza has won rare approval from Israel and key Arab countries. While Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it aligns with Israel’s war objectives, Arab and Muslim leaders have welcomed the initiative as a step towards peace. But one truly important voice is missing — that of any representative of the Palestinian people. When the latest phase of the Gaza war began, following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, Israel vowed to “destroy” the Islamist militant group. Two years on, Israel has turned Gaza into dust and displaced the entire population. Yet, Hamas has not been totally defeated. Any lasting peace hinges on an agreement between Israel and true representatives of Palestinians, even if Hamas is to be kept out. Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu have issued an ultimatum to Hamas: accept the plan or face continued Israeli attacks. The Trump plan promises an immediate ceasefire in return for the release of all hostages. It further states that Palestinians will not be forced to leave. For a population living in makeshift shelters, a ceasefire and the permission to stay on will be a relief. But beyond this veneer of concession, the rest of the plan is structured almost entirely to serve Israeli interests.
It proposes to place Gaza under an international governance body overseen by a ‘Board of Peace’, chaired by Mr. Trump. The plan further calls for the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza, while allowing the Israeli troops to retain “a security perimeter”. Hamas will have to demobilise itself. In essence, Gaza would be placed under a new colonial-type administration and a foreign military force, while Israel would continue to occupy parts of the enclave. Palestinians will be excluded from the top decision making bodies until “reforms of the Palestinian Authority are complete”. This is a plan written in sand. Even if Hamas were to accept the proposal and disband itself, or if Palestinians were to reject Hamas completely, there is no assurance that the Palestinian resistance will wither away. Without a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood, violence will continue in one form or another — the message of October 7. The plan offers no timeline for its lofty goals; it does not specify which countries would contribute troops to the ISF; nor does it clarify who would oversee the implementation process or the “reforms” within the Palestinian Authority. Rather than forcing his ally to end its daily attacks on Palestinians and withdraw through a ceasefire for hostages agreement, Mr. Trump is making an already intractable conflict more complicated. This proposal will not win him peace. Rather, it will drag him deeper into the quicksand of West Asia.
Published – October 04, 2025 12:10 am IST
