Two years into Israel’s destruction, war crimes, and genocide in Gaza, Donald Trump rolled out a 20-point proposal, hyped as a path to peace. Arab and Muslim leaders rushed to give their unqualified blessing. Standing right next to Trump, however, Benjamin Netanyahu delivered only a “conditional” endorsement, so riddled with caveats it gutted the plan before the ink was dry.

Image by Onur Burak Akın.

Two years into Israel’s destruction, war crimes, and genocide in Gaza, Donald Trump rolled out a 20-point proposal, hyped as a path to peace. Arab and Muslim leaders rushed to give their unqualified blessing. Standing right next to Trump, however, Benjamin Netanyahu delivered only a “conditional” endorsement, so riddled with caveats it gutted the plan before the ink was dry.

Predictably, the U.S. administration and the managed American media applauded Israel’s supposed acceptance, without any critical review of Netanyahu’s crippling conditions. We’ve seen this script before. Back in 2003, when George W. Bush introduced his “Road Map,” media headlines screamed about Ariel Sharon’s acceptance. What went largely unreported was that Sharon and his cabinet had attached 14 reservations that essentially veered the plan off the road.

The pattern is unmistakable. In every so-called proposal for peace, Israel secures immediate, tangible gains, such as Palestinian recognition of Israel under the Oslo Accord, with a mere promise to recognize Palestine at some vague point in the “foreseeable” future. More than three decades later, that future never arrived.

In my column earlier this week, I warned that Netanyahu would inject “a poison pill to undermine Trump’s plan from within.” It didn’t take long. As Axios reported, Arab leaders were “furious” when Netanyahu rewrote critical clauses, especially on the conditions and timetable for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

Here are just a few of those poison pills:

Captive Release vs. Withdrawal

Trump’s Item 3 promised: “If both sides agree to this proposal … Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line to prepare for a hostage release.”

Netanyahu retorted:

“Israel will retain security responsibility, including a security perimeter, for the foreseeable future … the first step will be a modest withdrawal.”

Israel’s benefit is instant: the return of all captives. Palestinians, meanwhile, are promised a “modest withdrawal” to an undefined line, all while Israel retains security responsibility, a loophole allowing Israel to re-enter Gaza at will.

Gaza’s Governing Body

Trump’s Item 9 envisioned an international body managing Gaza’s redevelopment until the Palestinian Authority (PA) reformed and could govern. Netanyahu clarified Israel’s position:

“Gaza will have a peaceful civilian administration that is run neither by Hamas nor by the Palestinian Authority.”

Trump gave Israel the right to dictate who governs Gaza, while Palestinians told they are not ready to govern themselves, not even by the submissive PA.

Statehood Illusions

Trump’s Item 19 suggested a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” if (PA) reforms were carried out. Netanyahu dismissed the very premise:

“Israelis have no faith that the PA leopard will change its spots … Gaza will not be administered by the Palestinian Authority.”

He then redefined the PA “reforms” as ending Palestinian appeals to the ICC and ICJ, recognizing Israel as a “Jewish state,” and accepting “many, many other reforms.”

New conditions that have nothing to do with governance or effective administration. They are political pretexts, crafted to sabotage Trump’s 20-point plan or to render the PA irrelevant should it “reform” on Israel’s terms.

Occupation

Trump’s Item 16 declared: “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza.” Netanyahu replied:

“Israel … will remain in the security perimeter for the foreseeable future.”

Translation: Israel will occupy Gaza.

Further to the above clear rebuttals undermining Trump’s Plan, still even more telling is Item 8: Neutral Aid Distribution—it calls for “aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent…”

Unwittingly, Trump’s Plan acknowledges that the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was not “neutral” but a tool using food as a weapon against a captive population.

Trump stood silently as Netanyahu gutted his plan, offering no objection but showering Netanyahu with praise as a “warrior.” The plan offers Israel everything in advance, by contrast, Palestinians receive conditional promises, vague timelines in the “foreseeable” future. Even that, according to Netanyahu, is contingent on Palestinian compliance and “good behavior.”

This is not a new playbook. In 2003, Bush’s Road Map tumbled into a ditch under Israel’s 14 reservations. Now, Trump’s plan faces the same fate because the structure is identical: Israel collects its benefits immediately, while Palestinians are left with empty promises. I must confess, though, Netanyahu was generous, offering only four conditions, enough, nonetheless, to bury Trump’s Plan into oblivion.

Should Palestinians dare to request clarifications or attach conditions of their own, the managed U.S. media would instantly brand them as “rejectionist,” while Israel’s sweeping conditions are politely ignored.

Irrespective of how Palestinians will respond, Trump’s 20-point Plan is destined to join Bush’s “Road Map.” Neither plan was ever about justice or reconciliation. The Road Map gave Sharon cover to accelerate the expansion of the Jewish-only colonies and build the apartheid wall on stolen Palestinian land. Today, Trump’s blueprint functions as a veneer for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, while offering Palestinians little more than equivocal promises.

The post Trump’s Plan: Instant Rewards for Israel, Vague Promises for Palestinians appeared first on CounterPunch.org.

From CounterPunch.org via this RSS feed