FM: John Whitbeck
The announced agreement on Phase 1 of the "Trump peace
plan", promising a 2000-for-20 hostage swap, at least a
temporary opening of the gates of Gaza to a flood of
life-sustaining aid and at least a temporary pause in
Israel's genocidal assault against the people of Gaza is
clearly good news.
It is worth recalling in this regard that Hamas had made
clear its willingness to execute such a hostage swap, the
sole reason for taking hostages, ever since October 2023,
while Israel has until now prioritized other objectives.
However, as I wrote in my message of October 4,
retransmitted below, once that has occurred, nothing is
assured, and Finance Minister Smotrich and other voices in
Israel are already expressing their intention to resume
Israel's ethnic cleansing and genocide project once all the
hostages held in Gaza have been released.
It would be logically, legally and morally incoherent for
any of the 158 states which have recognized the State of
Palestine or any other state with any respect for
international law to support the elements of the "Trump
peace plan" calling for (i) stripping an occupied people of
the ability to offer armed resistance to an illegal
occupation, as is their absolute right under international
law, (ii) the permanent Israeli military occupation of a
significant portion of Gaza's territory and (iii) entrusting
the ultimate governing authority in Gaza to a "Board of
Peace" comprising Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, Tony Blair
and similar moral monsters.
The implementation of these elements would not only
constitute flagrant violations of international law but also
constitute an unconscionable reward for genocide, which,
unfortunately, does not make the implementation of some or
all of them inconceivable.
The focus of the "international community" after the hostage
swap is completed should not be on imagining some vague,
rhetorical, future "pathway" to a "two-state solution" but,
rather, on taking all actions necessary for as long as it
takes to transform the current two-state legality under
international law into a two-state reality on the ground by
ending the illegal occupation of the State of Palestine.
It should go without saying, but is nevertheless worth
saying, that there will be no need for resistance to
occupation if and when there is no longer an occupation.