Gaza has been at the top of humanity's agenda for years. It has become the place where humanity ended. This small piece of land that Israel has blockaded and turned into a Warsaw Ghetto for decades has become a symbol of the resistance and suffering of the Palestinian people. Since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, all Israel has done was commit a massive massacre of civilians. For 1.5 years, the constant bombardment killed tens of thousands and demolished 80% of the urban infrastructure in Gaza.
The current situation in Gaza reveals not only a human tragedy but also serious crimes, such as violations of international law and human rights and ethnic cleansing.
Trump’s crazy plan for Palestine is not new. In his previous term, in 2020, he came up with a pro-Israel proposal, which he called the “Deal of the Century.” He claimed to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with this plan. It envisioned that Israel would retain control over most of the West Bank and Jerusalem as the new capital of Israel, granting only limited autonomy to the Palestinians. It also set forth certain conditions for the establishment of a Palestinian state; however, this state would have a structure that prioritized Israel’s security concerns and severely restricted Palestinian sovereign rights.
The plan promised economic aid and infrastructure projects to the Palestinians. However, for these promises to be realized, the Palestinian administration had to accept Israel’s security demands and the neutralization of armed resistance groups. Trump’s plan met Israel’s demands almost completely while ignoring the Palestinians’ fundamental rights and the requirements of international law.
The new plan announced by Trump several days ago envisages the resettlement of the Gaza people to other regions. It includes the relocation of the population in Gaza to neighboring regions such as Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and the establishment of new settlements there. His desire to take over Gaza to turn the location into a vacation riviera of the Middle East and claims that this plan will solve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ensure lasting peace in the region is unrealistic at best.
The plan also aims to increase Israel’s control over Gaza and completely ignore the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Trump’s plan, like the previous “Deal of the Century,” prioritizes Israel’s demands while disregarding the fundamental rights of the Palestinians and the requirements of international law.
We would consider these words crazy if they were said by an ordinary person, yet we take them seriously because the U.S. president said them. However, Trump is unable to see that it is absurd to expect a nation that has resisted humanity's modern pharaohs for 70 years to abandon its homeland just because he said so.
Trump’s plan is actually a continuation of many previous plans for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Oslo Accords in the 1990s, in particular, aimed to initiate a peace process between Israel and Palestine. However, these agreements also failed because Israel expanded its settlements and did not recognize the Palestinians’ rights to sovereignty.
Similarly, the plan put forward at the Camp David Summit in 2000 promised limited autonomy for the Palestinians. However, this plan also included accepting Israel’s control over Jerusalem and ignoring the Palestinians’ territorial claims. Trump’s plan is a continuation of these historical failures and will share a similar fate because it does not recognize the Palestinians’ fundamental rights. Even though he does it in a Trumpian style, the U.S. is essentially adopting an attitude that is in line with the policies of massacre and occupation that they have been pursuing for decades.
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions 242 and 338 foresee Israel withdrawing from the lands it occupied in the 1967 war and recognizing the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has repeatedly condemned Israel’s occupation policies and called for a humane solution. In particular, resolution 2334, adopted in 2016, emphasized that Israel’s settlements are against international law and undermine the peace process.
Furthermore, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has begun investigating Israel’s war crimes. International law defines crimes such as genocide and ethnic cleansing as the most serious offenses against humanity. The blockade in Gaza has prevented people from meeting their basic needs. In addition, Israel’s dispossession of Palestinians of their homes and land and the killing of more than 46,600 people are among the numerous elements that constitute the crime of ethnic cleansing.
In addition to all these, another reason why Trump’s plan is destined to fail is that the Palestinian people see this plan as an imposition and will not accept it. The plan, with its structure that protects the oppressor rather than the oppressed, does not go beyond a Nazi-Zionist policy that aims to empty the strip and remove the Palestinians from their own land. Therefore, the plan has no chance of success.
On the other hand, the Palestinian cause is no longer a territorial dispute, as they have faced occupation and atrocities for decades. It has become a symbol of resistance against colonialism and of the search for justice and the protection of human rights.
Especially throughout the last 1.5 years, global support has grown significantly, reflecting a widespread recognition of the injustices faced by the Palestinian people. Across the world, millions have taken to the streets in solidarity with Gaza, condemning the Israeli occupation, blockade and military aggression. Global South countries, particularly the ones in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, have consistently voiced their support for Palestinian statehood and self-determination. In Europe and North America, civil society organizations, human rights groups and progressive political movements have amplified calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, drawing parallels to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.
International bodies like the U.N. have repeatedly condemned Israeli policies, with numerous resolutions calling for an end to the occupation and the recognition of Palestinian rights. Social media has also played a pivotal role in mobilizing global awareness, with hashtags like #FreePalestine and #GazaUnderAttack trending worldwide during periods of heightened violence. While Israeli killers may think they have won by killing Palestinians, they have affected millions of people worldwide who will never forget their atrocities. While the people of Gaza are losing today, they are gaining tomorrow.
History and Trump’s crazy plans are making this situation worse rather than improving it. However, the resistance of the Palestinians and the support of the global community to their cause will eventually show that a just, lasting solution is possible. History will throw Trump’s plan into the trash bin. The future belongs to those who resist, not to those who implemented genocidal policies.
