Gaza’s Future Sold

Trump’s Gaza Plan: A False Choice That Leaves Palestinians Trapped Between War and Occupation

Washington, D.C. — At the White House yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled what they claim is a path to end the genocide in Gaza: a 20-point proposal that promises a ceasefire, staged prisoner exchanges, phased Israeli withdrawals, and reconstruction under international oversight. But for Palestinians - still reeling from hundreds of thousands of murders, and entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble - the plan represents not peace, but a cruel ultimatum.

The framework, widely circulated in diplomatic circles, includes the creation of a “Board of Peace” to supervise Gaza’s governance and reconstruction. At its helm: Trump himself, alongside controversial figures including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Netanyahu praised the initiative, declaring that it “meets Israel’s war goals: retrieving hostages, disarming Hamas, and ensuring Gaza poses no future threat.”

A Plan That Offers No Real Choice

Trump, standing beside Netanyahu, insisted the U.S. would fully back Israel should Hamas or other Palestinian groups refuse the proposal. Reuters reported him saying that Israel would have “full U.S. backing to take steps to defeat Hamas if it doesn’t accept the proposed peace deal.”

Netanyahu, for his part, framed the proposal as a historic opportunity, telling reporters: “We want to free our hostages. We want to get rid of Hamas rule and have them disarmed, Gaza demilitarized, and a new future set up for Gazans and Israelis alike and for the whole region.”

But stripped of its diplomatic language, the message to Palestinians is stark: reject the plan, and the war machine continues with U.S. blessing; accept it, and Gaza’s future will be managed by outside powers. The choice is not between war and peace, but between two different forms of domination.

The 20 Points: Ceasefire or Control?

Key provisions of the plan include:

• An immediate ceasefire once both parties sign.
• Prisoner and hostage exchanges, including the return of remains.
• Phased Israeli withdrawal tied to benchmarks of “demilitarisation.”
• Technocratic transitional governance in Gaza, answerable not to Palestinians but to an international board.
• Massive reconstruction packages contingent on compliance.
• A long-term horizon for Palestinian governance, conditional on reforms dictated by foreign powers.

The proposal is not silent on economics. Washington is touting promises of investment, special economic zones, and aid inflows. But for many Palestinians, such gestures are not liberation - they are compensation for stolen sovereignty.

Blair’s Shadow Over Gaza

The most controversial element has been the inclusion of Tony Blair. To Palestinians, Blair is not a neutral administrator but a figure indelibly linked to the destruction of Iraq. Al Jazeera described him as “a war criminal” in the eyes of many in the Middle East, warning his involvement would poison any claim to credibility.

Grassroots groups echoed that fury. One critic summed it up as: “War criminals are proposing a war criminal.”  For Palestinians, Blair’s presence is not just offensive - it is proof that the plan is being built on the logic of occupation and exploitation, not justice.

Trump’s Complicity and the Shadow of Epstein

If Trump’s language at the White House sounded more like a mouthpiece for Israeli policy than an independent American leader, critics say it is because that is exactly what he has become. His promise to give Israel “full U.S. backing” if Palestinians resist the plan reveals not a mediator but an enforcer for Tel Aviv.

Adding to the controversy are Trump’s well-documented ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and the unanswered questions about the infamous Epstein list. For many Palestinians and global observers, the spectacle of Trump posturing as a peacemaker while his own credibility is compromised underscores how corrupted and compromised U.S. politics has become.

The mainstream American press has largely avoided connecting Trump’s vulnerability to Israel’s ability to extract absolute loyalty. But in alternative media and in the Arab world, the pattern is obvious: a president compromised by scandal, reliant on powerful donors, and beholden to pro-Israel lobbies. The image that emerges is not of an independent statesman but of a man controlled. The Epstein connections deepen the sense of corruption - a president who once partied with Epstein and has been accused of shielding those involved now stands beside Netanyahu dictating Palestinians’ future.

For Palestinians, this is not diplomacy - it is blackmail, carried out by a U.S. leader compromised on every level. The so-called peace plan is therefore viewed less as an American initiative and more as an Israeli diktat, rubber-stamped by a compromised White House.

Ceasefire Promises Without Trust

The skepticism is rooted in history. Over recent years, Israel has repeatedly violated ceasefires with raids, bombings, and incursions. Independent monitors documented hundreds of breaches during earlier truces, reinforcing the perception in Gaza that such agreements are temporary pauses in violence, not real protection.

A History of Israeli Ceasefire Breaches Across the Region

The record of Israel honoring ceasefires is dismal, not just in Gaza but across the region.

• Gaza (2021, 2022, 2023): In multiple aggressions, Israel agreed to Egyptian and UN-brokered ceasefires, only to launch airstrikes days later. Civilian homes, media towers, and refugee camps were repeatedly targeted despite truces being in place.
• Lebanon (2006): The UN-brokered ceasefire following Israel’s war with Hezbollah was violated within hours, with Israeli jets bombing villages even after Resolution 1701 came into effect. To this day, near-daily Israeli overflights and bombings of Lebanese territory are cited as continuous violations.
• Syria: Israel has launched hundreds of air raids on Syrian territory, striking airports and civilian infrastructure - all while claiming to respect international norms. These assaults are unilateral acts of aggression carried out in times of supposed “calm.”
• West Bank: Even under “periods of calm,” raids, home demolitions, and assassinations continue, proving that Israel interprets ceasefires as a one-way street: Palestinians must be silent, while Israel keeps killing.

This history of breaches is why Palestinians call today’s proposal a sham. For them, ceasefires are not contracts; they are pauses Israel uses to reload.

The Hypocrisy of Muslim Leaders

While Washington and Tel Aviv drive the proposal, reactions from Muslim capitals have exposed painful divisions. Some governments - notably Turkey and the Palestinian Authority - cautiously welcomed the idea as a step toward ending bloodshed. Yet on the ground, protesters and activists denounce such endorsements as betrayal. Leaders who issue statements of “concern” but fail to hold Israel accountable are seen as complicit.

As one analysis noted, the region has grown used to “public statements of solidarity, followed by limited leverage, followed by diplomatic gestures that leave the occupation intact.” The hypocrisy cuts deep: while Israel commits war crimes across the Middle East, Arab and Muslim leaders seem willing to lend their signatures to another false peace.

A People With No Voice

What Palestinians demand is clear: an end to the siege, safety for their families, the right to govern themselves, and justice for crimes committed against them. What they are being offered instead is a binary: accept foreign supervision under men like Blair, or face renewed devastation with Washington’s backing.

In either case, Palestinians are denied what every nation is entitled to - sovereignty and dignity. The plan does not empower Palestinians. It corners them into submission.

The Bottom Line

The Trump-Netanyahu meeting produced headlines of “hope” and “progress.” But beneath the surface, the plan is neither a peace initiative nor a path to Palestinian freedom. It is an ultimatum written in the language of power: accept external control, or face annihilation.

For the families in Gaza burying their martyrs, the hollow talk of reconstruction rings cruel. Without accountability for Israel’s war crimes and without genuine Palestinian agency, this is not peace - it is the rebranding of occupation.