The so-called Gaza deal, announced with fanfare by Washington, is neither just nor legitimate. It is a trophy for Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner — a cynical exercise in self-promotion disguised as diplomacy. For the people who matter most — the Gazans, the Palestinians, the Arab nations whose histories are tied to the land — there was no seat at the table, no voice in the room. Even the United Nations, whose mandate is to protect the occupied and mediate peace, was not consulted. What the world has been handed is not a peace accord but a political masquerade — a deal written by the occupier, for the occupier.
True peace cannot be imposed by those complicit in the destruction of Gaza. The deal lacks the fundamental ingredients of justice. There is no end to the occupation, no commitment to reparations for decades of displacement and devastation, and no recognition of Palestinian sovereignty or the right of return. What it offers instead is a recycled illusion — the illusion that one can build peace upon ruins while maintaining apartheid walls, checkpoints, and blockades. The civilians who have endured the bombings since October 2023, the starvation of children, and the collapse of hospitals see this clearly: there is no justice in deals that ignore their suffering.
The two-state solution, once considered a moral compromise for coexistence, has long been rendered obsolete by Israel’s relentless expansionism. Settlements have fractured the West Bank into isolated enclaves; Gaza has been reduced to rubble and deprivation. A “state” without control over its borders, airspace, or economy is not sovereignty — it is subjugation. In principle, a unitary, democratic state where Palestinians and Jews live as equals would be the truest _expression_ of justice. Yet even that vision feels impossible today, for how can Palestinians coexist with those who have bombed, starved, and killed their families with impunity?
If a two-state formula is to be revived, it must not be the hollow version of Oslo, which only legitimised Israeli domination. It must return to the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territory. Anything less would perpetuate apartheid under the guise of compromise. The decades of failed negotiations — from Camp David to Annapolis — have proven that half-measures only embolden the occupier. Peace cannot flourish in the shadow of injustice.
The Trump-Kushner deal must be dumped, except for the ceasefire clause that offers temporary relief from slaughter. The world must return to the drawing board and craft a peace plan rooted in historical truth, moral responsibility, and respect for Palestinian identity and integrity. No durable peace can emerge without acknowledgment of guilt and repentance. Israel must apologise for the genocidal war since October 2023, a war that has killed tens of thousands of civilians, starved children, and destroyed every basic human facility. It must recognise the Palestinian right to resistance under international law — a right born of occupation and denied for 77 years.
Settlers must withdraw from the West Bank. Their very presence violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitutes a war crime. Their removal is not vengeance but justice — a step toward dismantling a system of privilege built on stolen land. Jerusalem must become an international city, shared by all faiths and both peoples, under a joint administration that reflects its universal spiritual significance. No peace is possible while Jerusalem remains a monopoly of Israeli power and exclusion.
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A Middle East free of nuclear weapons is another essential pillar of regional stability. Israel, the region’s only nuclear power, has long evaded accountability under US protection. Its armaments must be submitted for international inspection, followed by a process of gradual demilitarisation, not only of Israel but of all parties in the region. Disarmament will follow justice — never precede it. True security is inseparable from justice, and peace without accountability is an illusion.
The role of Hamas must be determined by Palestinians themselves, through a democratic and transparent process, not dictated by Washington, Tel Aviv, or Brussels. The hypocrisy of Western powers is evident: they call for democracy yet refuse to accept the outcome when Palestinians vote freely. Any legitimate peace framework must include all Palestinian political forces, not selectively label some as “terrorists” while rewarding the true perpetrator of state terror.
The United States and the European Union can be participants in dialogue, but not its arbiters. Their record of bias disqualifies them from leading negotiations. Instead, the peace architecture must expand to include Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The oversight mechanism should be internationally constituted under the United Nations, coordinated by a Global South country respected for its neutrality and moral credibility. This would restore balance and legitimacy to a process long hijacked by the West.
For decades, Israel has claimed to be the only democracy in the Middle East. Yet democracies do not bomb hospitals, starve populations, or imprison entire communities behind walls. Israel is not the victim in this equation; it is the occupying power. It cannot dictate the terms of peace while continuing to steal land and water, demolish homes, and assassinate journalists. The global community must say plainly: Israel is only one of the parties — not the judge, jury, or executioner.
To achieve lasting peace, the conversation must shift from security to justice. Security without justice is repression. Peace without dignity is surrender. The Palestinian cause is not a dispute over borders but a struggle for freedom and equality — a struggle against a system of colonialism and racial supremacy sustained by Western complicity.
The international community must confront its own moral failure. The silence of powerful states in the face of genocide is a stain on modern civilisation. The United Nations must reclaim its original mandate — to protect the weak from the powerful, the occupied from the occupier. A permanent UN observer mission in Gaza, under the protection of neutral states, could begin rebuilding trust. Global civil society, from universities to trade unions, must intensify boycotts, divestments, and sanctions until Israel complies with international law.
History teaches that no empire, however brutal, lasts forever. South Africa’s apartheid regime collapsed when global conscience aligned with internal resistance. The same will happen in Palestine. The spirit of the people — those who have endured siege, starvation, and sorrow — remains unbroken.
The Trump deal is not a roadmap to peace; it is an epitaph for the moral authority of those who pretend to mediate it. Real peace will not come from deals written in Washington or Jerusalem but from the ashes of injustice — when Palestinians can walk their land in freedom, when the refugee camps empty, when apology replaces arrogance, and when both peoples stand as equals before the law of humanity.
Enough is enough. The world has watched too many false dawns. It is time to end the occupation, dismantle apartheid, and recognise the right of Palestine to live — free, sovereign, and whole. Until that day, every “deal” that ignores justice is nothing more than a hollow victory for the powerful and a betrayal of the oppressed.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.