Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan
President Trump’s hastily prepared 20-point ‘Gaza Peace Plan’ is widely viewed by the world, including most of the European countries as well as the Muslim world as a ray of hope for bringing peace to the region.
Though, the peace plan comes as a breath of fresh air for the Palestinians and the people of Gaza who have suffered a lot due to Israeli brutality resulting in their mass massacre and displacement, yet it leaves a few fundamental questions pertaining to the complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank, the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as it’s capital and the future of Hamas and Hezbollah who have been fighting for the liberation of Palestine, remain unaddressed as the plan is completely silent on these core issues.
The fact that the proposed peace plan was discussed in a huddle in the Oval Office between president Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeping Palestinian Authority and Hamas out of the proposed peace plan, and with Netanyahu most willingly and readily accepting it, raises quite a few eyebrows.
Although, Palestinian Authority (PA) has welcomed the peace plan, yet Hamas has raised some fundamental questions and has objected to the proposal which asks it to disarm itself. Hamas has demanded the resolution of these issues before proceeding ahead. It has reportedly made its disarmament conditional to the complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the West Bank and other illegally occupied Palestinian territories, and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State, while the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Group – a militant outfit fighting alongside Hamas has termed Trump’s peace plan “a recipe for continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people”.
This militant group is of the view that through Trump’s proposed peace plan, Israel is attempting to achieve what it couldn’t do through the use of military might.
As for Islamic world, countries including Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are favourably disposed to Trump’s peace initiative terming it a sincere effort to end the war in Gaza and bring peace in the region. They have welcomed Trump’s peace plan that proposes an immediate ceasefire, allow different humanitarian Organizations to carry food, water and medicine and other necessary items inside Gaza, rebuild Gaza, prevent the displacement of Palestinian people and on top of it, his announcement that he will not allow the annexation of the West Bank by Israel.
Although, on the face of it, Trump’s Gaza peace plan sounds quite promising with rosy prospects, yet the Zionist expansionism seems to be the biggest hurdle in its way. Moreover, it’s quite interesting to relate President Trump’s statement he gave in February this year regarding Gaza with his present Gaza peace plan. In his previous statement Trump had said, “We will take over Gaza and rebuild it”. This statement unambiguously indicates that Trump’s Gaza peace plan carries much more than meets the eye. It may be more appropriate to call it “Trump’s Gaza rebuild plan instead of calling it Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
As for the chances of the Implementation of the peace plan, it looks quite difficult as both the main parties to the plan, i.e. Netanyahu and Hamas both remain stuck to their guns and are not ready to budge even an inch from their stated positions. Netanyahu has very emphatically said on more than one occasion that it will never withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank and that he will never agree to the establishment of an Independent and sovereign Palestinian state. Both Hamas and Netanyahu turn out to be a tough proposition to deal with and a hard nut to crack.
The recent interception of Global Sumud Flotilla (fleet of vessels/boats) by Israeli forces, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza has made one thing decidedly clear that it may not be that easy for President Trump to implement his 20-point Gaza peace plan. This is the first stone that has come from Israel. The proposed peace plan is not yet carved in stone, but one can only hope that it will go ahead as planned and bring peace in Gaza.
Trump’s intentions to end war in Gaza through a comprehensive 20-point peace plan is seen with suspicion when it remains silent on the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and West Bank and also the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the basis of two-state solution which has remained the core issue. Any plan that fails to address these fundamental issues is destined to meet with failure.