What a remarkable turn of events in the Middle East this past week. From constant shelling and the killing of innocent civilians – many even as they lined up for food – to the cessation of hostilities and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. So far, so good. At least as far as what is being described as the First Phase is concerned.
However, on reading about Trump’s 20 Point Peace Plan for Gaza, I cannot help but think that it has its priorities backwards. The entire plan is only about Gaza and there is not a word about the Palestinian State until Point No. 19. It reflects how countries such as Israel, US and western allies view the Middle-East problem. As one of peace to be maintained for Israel’s sake, or else hell for everyone else. This plan is a response only to the current conflict that was sparked by the Hamas attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023. To this extent, it focuses only on the immediate steps that need to be taken and not on the longer-term requirement which is what the Middle-East problem has essentially always been about. An independent state of Palestine.
Next, since the plan is about Gaza, the fact that Hamas will have to disarm unconditionally when it has been the resistance force for the Palestinian cause all these years is not only unreasonable, it is unrealistic and naïve. It is also a departure from most negotiating tactics with insurgent or resistance groups, where they are expected to give up arms for something in return. Usually, a return to the political process, which are elections. I am amazed that nowhere in this Peace Plan is elections in Gaza even mentioned; instead, the Plan hands over the mantle of the governance of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, on the condition that the PA carries out reforms agreed to in previous plans. This is a return to status-quo, in my opinion.
Please note, the Palestinians and Hamas are the people expected to reform and disarm in this Plan, not the Israelis. The fact that Israel will not annex Gaza is good; they had no business eyeing it anyway. But who will stop their creeping occupation of more and more of the West Bank with their non-stop building of settlements which is against all international law? And when will their writ in the West Bank end, where ordinary Palestinians do not even enjoy freedom of movement?
This 20 Point Peace Plan focuses on the immediate steps which are necessary and this is good. However, since the Gazans have no home to return to as all of Gaza is a heap of rubble, the first step must be to provide them shelter in some sort of relief camp set up and operated by the UN and its agencies along with food, medicine and clothing. As winter is approaching, they will need more than humanitarian aid to survive; the millions of displaced Gazans need to be provided an alternative way of life until they can return to their own. It may be months, even years, before Gaza – I don’t mean only Gaza city – is rebuilt for them to start a new life.
The governance to be provided by an interim committee of technocrats and international experts including Gazans sounds alright, except that the redevelopment of Gaza sounds more like a real estate redevelopment plan, rather than the rebuilding of a province or a state, with all its institutions. So perhaps Trump will get his Middle East Riviera, after all.
I would have liked to see other Middle-East countries from the region, especially the immediate neighbours and Islamic countries from the non-Arab world also participate more actively and really pull their weight in the discussions and plans for the larger goal of the Palestinian State. This would have to include countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Yemen as well as Iraq and Iran who, I notice, have been kept out of the consultative process. What were Pakistan and Indonesia doing there, I don’t know.
I also think that while the rebuilding of Gaza is taking place, and Gazans are accommodated and looked after in relief camps, the important areas to focus on are security and access to water, electricity and sanitation as well as healthcare facilities. Schooling and education might have to take a back seat initially, but the attempt must be to provide elementary education inside the relief camps or millions of young might lose out completely.
I also think that while the rebuilding of Gaza is going on, the process of discussing the Palestinian state ought to restart immediately and proceed simultaneously. This should be at the UN level, led by Palestinian Authority and Israel and with adequate participation from all the Middle-East countries. I don’t think this should wait for the rebuilding of Gaza, nor its take-over by the PA; in fact, as I have said Gaza should be rebuilt such that it is capable of holding fresh elections soon. The sooner these talks on the separate state of Palestine begin, the better the chances of maintaining the momentum achieved in the past few weeks on the ceasefire and the exchange of hostages and detainees. We shouldn’t allow the two parties or the region to go into a state of drift, once again.
In other words, we are far from achieving peace in the Middle-East, but at least the process has begun once again. If the Peace Plan had begun with the creation of the separate state of Palestine, the priorities would have been different and more meaningful and relevant to the Palestinian people. We might even have seen the Hamas more willing to surrender their arms. Nevertheless, this time, Palestinians and their neighbours ought to have a bigger say in the creation of their own separate state, with western powers staying in the sidelines. I would imagine that is asking too much of Trump who obviously likes to be in the limelight, but I think facilitating peace from the sidelines has a better chance of succeeding. Trump ought to use all of his and America’s leverage on Israel and Netanyahu instead.
The Peace Plan does not mention anything about international journalists being allowed to report from Gaza, since they have been barred from the region under Israel’s unilateral decree. Trump seems unwilling to exert pressure on the aggressor countries, Israel in this case, and Russia in the other conflict that has also dragged on for years. There, we have the Trumpian flip-flop on the long-range missiles and the security guarantees that Ukraine needs. The President who wants to be known as the leader to end wars, finds it easier to wage wars on his own people inside America.
The animated owl gif that forms the featured image and title of the Owleye column is by animatedimages.org and I am thankful to them.
Peripatetic Perch 