Trump’s Gaza initiative: A path to peace?
The Palestinian cause is now at a critical juncture. US President Trump's proposal to end the war in Gaza, framed as a prelude to broader Middle East peace, has become the central issue in Arab, regional, and international politics.
Trump's plan has been met with serious reservations. It should not be regarded as a rigid "take it or leave it" package. Rather, its provisions warrant scrutiny, renegotiation, and refinement—something most parties appear open to, except Israel itself. Many of the clauses lack substance, and their ambiguity invites further diplomatic negotiation.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Yet, every hour of delay translates into more destruction and more lives lost. Gazans plead for even a brief ceasefire while their cities crumble under bombardment and their people continue to bleed and starve. Responding to Trump's initiative requires both courage and intelligence, with recognition that the United States and Israel operate as a single strategic front in pursuit of their joint agenda for Gaza and the wider Middle East.
Addressing the plan should not rest with Hamas alone. It must involve the Arab and Muslim states consulted on the initiative before it was presented to Netanyahu. These states should expose the discrepancies between the proposals discussed privately and those published publicly after Netanyahu's meeting.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE issued a joint statement supporting several key principles of Trump's proposal. These included preventing the displacement of Palestinians, rejecting the annexation of the West Bank, ensuring unrestricted humanitarian aid, and achieving a full Israeli withdrawal. Crucially, the ministers stressed that Gaza must be rebuilt and integrated with the West Bank under a sovereign Palestinian state based on international law, framing this as the cornerstone of regional stability and security.
At the same time, the choice of Tony Blair as a potential administrator for Gaza represents one of the most alarming aspects of Trump's proposal. Blair, a chief architect of the Iraq War, bears responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and the destruction of an entire nation. His legacy is inseparable from his role as one of Israel's staunchest supporters and as a close political partner of Netanyahu. To hand over Gaza to such a figure is not only an insult to its people but also a continuation of colonial patterns dating back to the infamous Balfour Declaration, when a foreign power presumed the right to determine Palestine's fate without the consent of its people. Gaza, which has endured decades of blockade, bombardment, and starvation, deserves liberation and self-determination—not governance under another Western politician whose record is steeped in war, occupation, and betrayal.
What Gaza's people, and Palestinians more broadly, want most is a ceasefire and urgent delivery of life-saving aid. Infrastructure is on the brink of collapse, disease is spreading, and famine is worsening. An immediate pause is essential to address these basic humanitarian needs.
However, engaging with the initiative does not mean blindly accepting every clause. The Palestinian national position insists there be no Israeli soldiers remaining in Gaza. If Trump's proposal does not make this explicit, it must be made a demand by Palestinians, Arabs, and like-minded international actors committed to ending the war.
We must assess our assets in this pivotal struggle, not only over Gaza but also over the Palestinian cause at its foundation. We cannot underestimate the power of global solidarity with the right to statehood. Some positive elements of the US proposal—such as rejecting the Riviera plan, preventing mass displacement, and referencing phased Israeli withdrawal—are the result of Palestinian steadfastness and continuous international pressure.
Working with the Trump proposal, despite its dangers and hidden traps, means stripping Netanyahu of justification for continuing the war. It means aligning with Arab, Islamic, and international positions that now defend Palestinian rights after years of erasure.
Accepting certain parts of the plan while rejecting others is not an act of surrender or abandonment of the Palestinian cause. It is a strategic political choice, and it seems that Hamas is beginning to recognise this logic.
Yousef SY Ramadan is the ambassador of Palestine to Bangladesh.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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