Trump’s “Eternal Peace Plan” for Gaza is an ill-conceived hodge-podge
- Trump has warned Hamas that this deal is their last chance. Take it or leave it. If they leave it he says the US “will help Israel finish the job.”
By Tom Arms | London
Trump’s “Eternal Peace Plan” for Gaza is an ill-conceived hodge-podge. Despite that, it may succeed because it is the only show in town. It is also Donald Trump’s best shot at the elusive Nobel Peace Prize.
To truly succeed it needs buy-in from Hamas. But why should they accept it? The plan calls for their disbandment, surrender of all weapons and exile from Gaza.
The Plan makes no mention of the West Bank where Israeli settlers are daily forcing Palestinians out of their home. As for the role of the Palestinian Authority, it is allowed a role “after reform.” But how is it to be reformed?
The two-state solution which Palestinians and most of the international community, support, is referred to as an “aspiration of the Palestinian people” not a justifiable goal or a goal supported by the US. Palestinian statehood is held out as a vague carrot, but only after a hazy list of conditions are met.
Anyway, that point (number 19) has been knocked on the head by the repeated assertion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there will “never” be a Palestinian state.
Then there is the fate of hostages and Palestinians held in Israeli jail. According to the plan, once all the hostages are released, the Israelis will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Why can’t the exchange be done simultaneously? Hamas’s main negotiating lever is the hostages. They do not trust the Israelis to release their prisoners AFTER the hostages are freed.
Point 3 of the plan says that as soon as the fighting stops the Israelis will conduct a staged withdrawal. From where to where? Over what period of time?
Point 7: “Upon implementation / acceptance, full humanitarian aid immediately flows into Gaza.” Haven’t the Israelis claimed that “full humanitarian aid” is already reaching the Gazans?
Points 9-12 cover the type of government that will administer Gaza after an end to the fighting. Trump will be chairman of the board and former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair will supervise redevelopment, funding and governance. But what powers will the chairman of the board have? And ditto for Sir Tony?
There is no suggestion for the legal framework for the proposed authority. Will it come under UN auspices or that of the Arab League or the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC)? As it stands at the moment the succeeding authority will come under the authority of Donald Trump.
Sir Tony will recruit “temporary, apolitical, technocratic” Palestinians to run the country. The fact is that most of the civil servants who have been running Gaza are Hamas members. Like it or not, they will be needed to keep the strip going and to rebuild it, simply because they know all the ropes.
Point 12: “Creation of a Special Economic Zone in Gaza, with favorable trade which countries are contributing?
Point 18. “Gradual, phased Israeli withdrawal: The IDF will pull back in stages as ISF and transitional authority take over; Israel will not annex or permanently occupy Gaza. There might be a security perimeter until Gaza is properly secure.” How long will the phased withdrawal take? Where will be security perimeter be, on Israeli or Gazan territory?
European and Middle East leaders have welcomed the plan. Sir Keir Starmer has said he would work Trump and the Israelis to see it implemented. But the plan cannot work without the effective surrender of Hamas.
The political leadership in Qatar is thinking about. The military leader in Gaza is said to be opposed. He is prepared to go down fighting in the hope that his struggle will serve as a recruiting sergeant for future generations of Palestinians. Usually it is the military leader which has the final decision.
Trump has warned Hamas that this deal is their last chance. Take it or leave it. If they leave it he says the US “will help Israel finish the job.”
Read: Trump issues Sunday ultimatum for Hamas to accept Gaza plan
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Tom Arms is foreign editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. He also lectures on world affairs and is the author of “The Encyclopedia of the Cold War” (two editions) and “America Made in Britain.”
