By MICHALIS PSILOS
Naftemporiki, Athens
President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza is undoubtedly a desperate ray of hope. The horror experienced by two million Palestinians demands that an opportunity be given to immediately end the war.
This is necessary to halt the massacre in the Strip, which has already cost the lives of nearly 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. It is necessary to stop the "genocide," according to the United Nations, and the starvation, as everyone observes with terror—except, of course, the Netanyahu government.
The Israeli Prime Minister and his government will have to swallow some bitter pills: the abandonment of the "genocidal" idea of displacing Gaza’s population to Libya or Sudan, as well as the plan for "Greater Israel."
Trump certainly sent an ultimatum to Hamas, essentially demanding the unconditional surrender of the Islamic organization.
The response of the Hamas leadership is awaited (since then, the Hamas military leader disagrees while the political leaders seek more concessions), and they likely have no choice but to accept. After all, all the organization's allies—from Turkey to Qatar—are pushing for the plan’s acceptance.
In the short term, it is imperative to end the horror, and any measure moving in that direction is positive. At the very least, there is talk of rebuilding Gaza and preventing the displacement of the Palestinian population, which Netanyahu and his far-right partners are seeking.
The idea of creating a Palestinian state barely flickers in paragraph 19 of the 20-point plan.
On paper, there are two and a half losers:
In simple terms, this means the transformation of the Strip into a protectorate, Kosovo-style, at least while efforts are made to stabilize Gaza. However, the transformation of Kosovo into a "protectorate" after the wars in the former Yugoslavia has not stabilized it as a state entity, even though nearly 20 years have passed since it declared independence from Serbia.
In this context, the idea of a new international "protectorate" raises many questions:
But this is where the gap between diplomacy and reality becomes apparent: On the one hand, Western and Arab governments welcome the plan as a step toward peace. On the other hand, two peoples will find it difficult to coexist peacefully, given the amount of blood spilled on both sides.
Many Israelis reject the prospect of two states because they perceive it as a threat to their security and seek a unified state under Jewish sovereignty. This makes any agreement fragile, and perhaps the idea of a permanent peace, deceptive.
Peaceful coexistence can only be achieved if one people learns to see the other not as an enemy, but as a neighbor. And it will take many generations for this to be achieved...
*Michalis Psilos
The Israeli Prime Minister and his government will have to swallow some bitter pills: the abandonment of the "genocidal" idea of displacing Gaza’s population to Libya or Sudan, as well as the plan for "Greater Israel."
Trump certainly sent an ultimatum to Hamas, essentially demanding the unconditional surrender of the Islamic organization.
The response of the Hamas leadership is awaited (since then, the Hamas military leader disagrees while the political leaders seek more concessions), and they likely have no choice but to accept. After all, all the organization's allies—from Turkey to Qatar—are pushing for the plan’s acceptance.
In the short term, it is imperative to end the horror, and any measure moving in that direction is positive. At the very least, there is talk of rebuilding Gaza and preventing the displacement of the Palestinian population, which Netanyahu and his far-right partners are seeking.
Two and a Half Losers
The issue, of course, is that the Trump plan rejects the Palestinians as interlocutors. The Palestinian National Authority, which should regain control of the Strip, is being sidelined.The idea of creating a Palestinian state barely flickers in paragraph 19 of the 20-point plan.
On paper, there are two and a half losers:
- Hamas loses because it is essentially being asked to demilitarize—in short, to disappear.
- The Israeli far-right loses, forced to set aside—for now—the dream of a Greater Israel from the Jordan River to the sea.
- Netanyahu suffers a half-defeat, as he risks losing power because as soon as the hostages return home and the weapons fall silent, the country's life will resume, including the judicial prosecutions against the Prime Minister. This is true even if Israeli President Herzog hints at granting Netanyahu a pardon.
The Ghost of "Kosovo"
As for Gaza? The Trump plan provides for its administration by a Peace Committee chaired by Trump and featuring Tony Blair, alongside an "apolitical" Palestinian committee of technocrats.In simple terms, this means the transformation of the Strip into a protectorate, Kosovo-style, at least while efforts are made to stabilize Gaza. However, the transformation of Kosovo into a "protectorate" after the wars in the former Yugoslavia has not stabilized it as a state entity, even though nearly 20 years have passed since it declared independence from Serbia.
In this context, the idea of a new international "protectorate" raises many questions:
- How will Palestinians react to the prospect of being governed, at least for a transitional period, by an external authority led by Tony Blair, who is hated by Arabs?
- Will Palestinians willingly accept a form of administration that, in their eyes, could resemble the old colonial mandates?
- Will this authority be able to sign international agreements—for example, concerning the natural gas deposits waiting to be exploited off the coast of Gaza?
But this is where the gap between diplomacy and reality becomes apparent: On the one hand, Western and Arab governments welcome the plan as a step toward peace. On the other hand, two peoples will find it difficult to coexist peacefully, given the amount of blood spilled on both sides.
Two Enemy Peoples
Even with the temporary acceptance of a compromise, Israelis and Palestinians would continue to pursue their own, differing ideals.Many Israelis reject the prospect of two states because they perceive it as a threat to their security and seek a unified state under Jewish sovereignty. This makes any agreement fragile, and perhaps the idea of a permanent peace, deceptive.
Peaceful coexistence can only be achieved if one people learns to see the other not as an enemy, but as a neighbor. And it will take many generations for this to be achieved...
*Michalis Psilos
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