US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 20-point plan as a “peace proposal” to end the war in Gaza presents a clear-cut opportunity that leaves very few options to the entire region - not only Hamas or the factions, nor even those behind them.
Either Gaza and its people are saved, or Netanyahu is given a free hand with American cover. It would be given the green light to eliminate Hamas, Gaza, and its inhabitants, with no guarantees about the results - though the outcome is predictable from the lessons of Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen.
Today, there is no room for political one-upmanship. We now have an American plan that can be summed up as follows: an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the establishment of a transitional government led by foreign actors.
The question is not whether or not this is a good plan. The real question is whether the goal is to save Gaza and its people or Hamas? Is the goal to protect the population of Gaza and prevent their displacement should the fighting continue, or to grant Netanyahu free rein to do just that?
Is the goal to end the war, begin reconstruction, and prevent the annexation of the West Bank? Or is it an open-ended war with predictable outcomes and consequences that ensure there is no fifth or sixth Gaza war, because by the end, nothing will remain but barren land?
That is why there is no room for posturing. Hamas does not have space to maneuver. This is the reality born of the facts on the ground. The balance of power is by no means balanced. Those who want to fight “to the last Gazan” are pursuing a different agenda entirely.
Accordingly, the ball is now in Hamas’ court: will it agree, salvaging what can be salvaged and leaving Netanyahu to face President Trump? Or will it refuse, handing Netanyahu a lifeline just when he must confront the extremists in his government - extremists who are there because of his choices and policies?
President Trump regards this as his plan for Middle East peace: stopping the war and jumpstarting the peace process, Abrahamic or otherwise. Whoever obstructs will be his adversary for the next three years.
This is not a question for Hamas alone, nor Netanyahu and his extremist government. It also concerns the region’s states: who wants to end the war now in Gaza and salvage what we can, turning this plan into an opportunity amid growing momentum for a two-state solution? Who wants to obstruct and posture until the last drop of Gazan blood?
Accordingly, there are no options, no room to maneuver. We now have an opportunity, for Gaza, for the Palestinian cause, and to stop the runaway war machine in the region, particularly as international recognition of Palestine gathers momentum.
Anyone familiar with the details and trajectory of the Palestinian question understands the sheer number of missed opportunities, some squandered for flimsy considerations that are worth nothing compared to saving lives and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Will today’s opportunity be squandered like so many before it?
True, this peace plan does not automatically lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. But it is the most significant step in that direction, amid genuine international momentum around Palestine and President Trump’s pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize. Wars sometimes break out for unexpected reasons. Who knows, this could be an opportunity for peace that comes from unexpected sources.
