As bombs rained on Gaza City, Donald Trump stood alongside Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, parading a so-called “peace plan” that is neither about peace nor justice.
While hundreds of Palestinians were being killed on a daily basis by Israeli air and artillery strikes, Trump offered the world a 20-point document dressed in lofty words but designed to cement Israeli hegemony and deny Palestinians their most basic right: self-determination.
The spectacle was cynical in the extreme. Trump’s “Board of Peace,” chaired by none other than Trump himself, with Tony Blair waiting in the wings, reeks of neo-colonial arrogance.
Palestinians are offered technocratic committees, demilitarisation enforced by foreign troops, and promises of aid conditioned on submission.
At the heart of the plan is not justice but control: dismantle Palestinian resistance, disarm Gaza, and keep Israel’s military grip until Trump and Netanyahu decide it is “secure.”
What Palestinians are denied, once again, is sovereignty, dignity, and a path to independence to lead their life according to their choice.
This plan reads less like a roadmap for peace and more like an instrument of surrender.
Gaza, in Trump’s words, must become a “terror-free zone,” but Israel’s decades-long occupation, settler violence, and apartheid system go unnamed.
Hostages are to be released, prisoners swapped, aid allowed in, but always under the iron conditions set by Israel and the United States.
Palestinian governance is outsourced to handpicked committees, and the international community is expected to bankroll Gaza’s redevelopment under Trump’s chairmanship — a grotesque exercise in self-promotion rather than self-determination.
What is even more disturbing is the chorus of applause from Arab and Western capitals. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, and Egypt rushed to endorse Trump’s announcement, eager to signal obedience to Washington’s dictates.
France’s Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s Keir Starmer urged Hamas to accept the plan, ignoring the obvious: this is not a peace offer but a political trap. Italy hailed a “turning point.”
Each statement reflected the same pattern — leaders competing to flatter Trump’s ego rather than standing for Palestinian rights.
For Palestinians on the ground, the farce could not be clearer. “This plan is unrealistic,” said Ibrahim Joudeh from his shelter in al-Mawasi. Abu Mazen Nassar called it “manipulation” aimed at tricking resistance factions into releasing hostages without guarantees of ending the war.
These voices, speaking amid ruins and loss, expose the chasm between the self-congratulatory posturing of leaders abroad and the lived reality of Gaza’s people.
Trump’s proposal is not new. It follows the logic of his 2020 “Deal of the Century,” offering Palestinians economic sweeteners in exchange for political submission.
Netanyahu embraces it because it secures Israel’s objectives: dismantle Hamas, entrench military dominance, and prevent any genuine move toward Palestinian statehood.
For Trump, it is a stage to project himself as global peacemaker with his eyes on the Nobel Peace Prize — even as the genocide continues unabated.
True peace cannot be imposed from the White House podium while Gaza burns. It cannot be negotiated under the shadow of Israeli warplanes and artillery.
Justice demands an end to occupation, recognition of Palestinian statehood, and accountability for the war crimes of an apartheid regime. Anything less is betrayal.
Trump’s plan is not a pathway to peace but a smokescreen for continued oppression, a political show staged at the expense of a people whose blood still stains the streets of Gaza.
History will not remember it as peace — only as complicity.
Good article; succinct, clear analyses and short. For what it is worth, I agree with the author (wholeheartedly). Keep up the good work.
Well written, Br Zia. This “plan” is full of deception. They plan but Allah SWT also plans. Let us pray for the oppressed.
Commendable, sensibly crafted, just, and unbiased. Truly and genuinely needed points have been raised — points that are essential for any deal, let alone one as significant as this, to ensure everlasting peace in the region.
What was, and still is, the most important part of this deal is the absolute necessity that all concerned parties be invited to discuss and finalize a roadmap to end the conflicts, address differences, and arrive at an acceptable and unified conclusion.
Instead, one Genocide supporter and another, the conductor of the Genocide, have decided upon a biased, brainless, and highly one-sided 21-point plan. It will not solve the issue — not for an hour, a week, a month, or even a year at most. The inclusion of such conditions is 100% one-sided and clearly supports the occupying power, giving them the right to break the deal based on a single lie. This, in turn, opens the floodgates of Holocaust, genocide, and the continued cycle of ethnic cleansing of the poor and most innocent population — the truest citizens, the undeniable and rightful owners of the entire land of #Palestine.
Anyway, the article itself seems written in the hope of witnessing a peaceful end — sincerely, perhaps even sacrificially — through the acceptance by illegal occupiers to remain as occupiers for the sake of peace, which in its truest sense means “Islam.” It is very well balanced, though extremely painful for Muslims living in every corner of the world. The editor, however, applied common sense to ensure no more lives are lost, hoping this insanity, barbarism, and butchery finally ends, and that peace may prevail.
The article is short but meaningful, sensible, and practical — proving that even the least effort toward genuine inclusion could have achieved near-perfect results and contributed effectively to a real solution.
Unfortunately, from what I’ve read — from newspapers when televisions were unavailable or barely known to exist, to watching the news on black-and-white TV sets — the story has remained unchanged. I witnessed many things improve over time: technology, communication, progress. Yet, the most painful, heartbreaking, and unbearable truth remains — Muslims were, are, and may never be united. Despite 57 nations, the cycle of invasions, brutalities, and dehumanization continues. We are treated worse than the worst kinds of criminals, and the loss of innocent lives may continue endlessly while unity remains just a dream.
Excuse me:
I think, instead of writing a comment, I ended up writing a full-length article. I sincerely apologize for being carried away — overwhelmed by emotions and swept into an immensely destructive and toxic river that, unfortunately, holds not a single drop of water. It is filled with filth, poisonous and volatile acids, and an ocean of fuel and crude oil — slippery and unstable, making it impossible to stand still.
Thanking you in advance — truly and wholeheartedly, without an iota of doubt — for accepting my apology (if someone has taken the time to read this). I humbly request that you please read it with patience, and forgive any grammatical, spelling, or structural errors, or my tendency to jump from one point to another.
I don’t know if this happens to others, but when I’m awake yet drowsy, forcing myself to finish what I began, my mind tends to drift. It’s natural for me, especially now, as I’m going through countless unexpected challenges, living in isolation, and experiencing panic attacks that words can’t fully explain.
Please — I beg readers not to empathize or sympathize, but if possible, do remember me in your du‘ā, even if it’s just a single line for my health and peace.
Why did I write about myself? I should delete that part… Deleted — except allittle part for selfish reason: to request your Dua’a.