The 20 points peace plan for Gaza was presented by Donald Trump to the heads of 8 Muslim States on Sept 25, and was accepted.
- The author Brigadier (Retd.) Asif Haroon Raja, is a retired Brigadier General, war veteran, defence and security analyst, columnist, author of five books, ex-chairman TFP, Patron-in-chief CDS Think Tank, and takes part in TV talk shows.
- *The views and opinions expressed herein, and any references, are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the Centre for Development and Stability (CDS).
The underlying compulsion for accepting it despite some flaws was to end the bloodshed in Gaza forthwith and to restore humanitarian aid to the starving people.
The plan was approved because it gave a roadmap for a future independent Palestinian State. It was announced with fanfare in Washington and marketed as a ‘ last opportunity’ for peace.
It was prematurely celebrated by the governments of the Arab and Islamic States. The world at large also breathed a sigh of relief that at least one flashpoint was about to be defused.
The plan approved by the interlocutors was modified unilaterally by Trump after meeting with Netanyahu on Sept 29.
The latter didn’t want to concede anything, and wished to bury the concept of two-nation state solution. The extremist Israeli regime is fixated on one-nation theory and wants all the Arab States to recognise Israel under the spirit of Abraham Accords.
Consequently, the original draft was sabotaged, and a wholly pro-Israel plan was rolled before the world with altered terms without taking the eight interlocutors into confidence, which amounts to fraud, cheating and betrayal.
What seems strange is as to why the eight-member delegation was so overconfident that the agreed upon plan will be consented by Netanyahu?
Why didn’t they wait for the critical meeting between Trump and Netanyahu three days later? Till then, they should have logically withheld their euphoria.
In the revised plan, Hamas has been left out high and dry without any guarantee for their safety once they are deported from Gaza. IDF and Mossad are ill-famed for extra-territorial assassinations. Attack on Doha to kill Hamas political leaders is a case in point.
Israel has made it clear that it will not feel secure till the elimination of each and every member of Hamas as well as of Hezbollah.
The only bargaining chip with Hamas is the hostages, which has kept the Israeli leadership on the tenterhooks. Hence it demanded the release of all the Israeli hostages (alive and dead) in one go by Hamas.
No suchlike compulsion was imposed on Israel to release the desired numbers of Palestinian prisoners instantly. In fact, they will be set free at a later date. No guarantee has been given for the return of earmarked Palestinian prisoners.
If a cut out date of Sunday, 5 Oct, to accept or reject the plan has been given to Hamas, why not to Israel?
The Israeli Army will remain in Gaza after the deportation of Hamas and other resistance forces, and will withdraw in phases without intimating the time taken to withdraw the troops, and the completion date of withdrawal.
The peace keeping forces will remain outside Gaza and will be controlled by the joint management of Trump and Tony Blair. The latter is infamous for his immoral conduct in the war in Iraq in 2003. His false testimony of WMD ( Weapon of mass destruction) led to deaths and displacement of millions of Iraqis.
It will be the first time that the UN peacekeepers from the Arab and Muslim countries would operate from outside the combat zone under the supervision of outsiders.
It is to be seen, who will provide security to the American construction companies engaged in reconstruction of Gaza! If the peace keeping force cannot enter Gaza, will it be NATO?
The reason to keep the Muslim peacekeepers outside Gaza is obvious. It will give a free hand to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces)and Mossad to operate freely in Gaza, hunt Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters in the enclave, destroy the tunnels and possible arms dumps, and terrorise the people.
Will Trump and Blair fairly select the technocrats to rule Gaza, and if not, will their choices be acceptable to the people of Gaza, and what will be the consequences?
No guarantee has been given that the IDF ( Isreal Defense Forces) will not return to Gaza after withdrawal. In all probability, it will retain the northern part of the Gaza Strip and make it a launching pad, or a security buffer to protect southern Israel.
There is no clear mention of the independent State of Palestine, its extent, and whether it will be based on pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds as the capital of the Palestinian State.
Netanyahu has no intentions of abandoning Golan heights and East Jerusalem, and has rejected the two-state solution.
It has not been mentioned that Gaza and the West Bank will be integrated. In its present form, the two will remain segregated and West Bank will remain vulnerable to annexation by Israel despite Trump’s assurances.
Like any other President of the USA, Trump is also helpless before the Zionists, the Jewish lobby in the US, the rightwing Christian evangelists and Israel. His foreign policy is dictated by these power centres and he dare not go against them.
While Hamas is penalised for waging a war of resistance to safeguard Gaza, Israel involved in a genocide war and ethnic cleansing has been given a clean chit.
Israel , already charge sheeted by the ICC, will not be punished for its colossal war crimes. ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his ex-defence minister Galant.
How come Israelis are victims and innocent, and have the right to self-defence, and the Hamas are terrorists and the besieged Palestinians have no right to self-defence?
Israel will not even pay the war reparations for converting Gaza into a mass ruble, and killing more than 200,000 Palestinians, more than half of whom are lying buried under the debris.
Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) comprising boats from 44 countries sailed last month to provide humanitarian aid to the starving people of Gaza.
The extremely hazardous journey was undertaken by the unarmed peace activists when the UN, the US, the international institutions, Europe and the Muslim Ummah failed to stop the bloodshed, failed to break the Israeli siege of the enclave imposed in 2007, and failed to provide food, water, medicines to the dying 2.3 million people in Gaza.
The GSF members showed greater willpower, solidarity and compassion than the 57 Muslim countries including 22 Arab States. They put their lives in danger to reach out to the marooned people.
The cowardice and insensitivity of the Arab – Islamic Govts is seen by the world. For two years they remained immobile and behaved like dumb and deaf .
Their apathy scaled new heights when the GSF ( Global Security Forum) was brazenly attacked by the Israeli Navy on 01 Oct. None came forward to defend them due to their lack of warrior spirit, timidity and fear of the USA.
Disruption of the Global Sumud Flotilla and arrest of all the participants carrying humanitarian aid for the starving people in Gaza is one of the most gruesome crimes against humanity. Killing in Gaza hasn’t stopped, nor the aid routes opened.
Since the original peace plan has been distorted, for all practical purposes, it has died its own death and is no longer tenable.
A new mutually agreed upon peace plan will have to be chalked out, and the representatives of Palestinians including Hamas must be included in the parleys to make it credible, just and lasting.
Before endorsing the plan, written ironclad guarantees must be obtained from the USA and Europe, duly countersigned by Russia and China to prevent another betrayal.
A viable joint plan of action must be chalked out to deal with the situation when Israel fails to abide by the clauses of the peace plan. This is necessary because Israel is well-known for its backtracking and for violating international laws, UN resolutions and agreements.
