Repackaging occupation, denying freedom

SINCE October 2023, Israel's assault on Gaza has claimed the lives of at least 66 055 Palestinians, leaving entire neighbourhoods in rubble and families erased from the civil registry. Amid this ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, US President Donald Trump has unveiled a 21-point plan that he claims will end the bloodshed. Yet a closer look reveals that the plan envisions Gaza’s future shaped not by Palestinians, but by foreign powers with long histories of enabling Israel's occupation and undermining Palestinian rights.

- SOZARN BARDAY

DISPLACED Palestinians evacuating southbound from Gaza City. Trump's Gaza plan, framed as a pathway to stability, is instead a blueprint for ongoing control a new chapter in the history of Gaza's subjugation, says the writer. | AFP

(AFP)

At the heart of the proposal is a blueprint drawn from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose record in the Middle East has consistently favoured Western and Israeli interests over Palestinian freedom. The plan calls for the removal of Hamas and the deployment of a “temporary international stabilisation force” led by the US and regional allies. In theory, this force would oversee security and governance in Gaza. In practice, it strips Palestinians of any real control over their own territory, replacing local agency with external supervision.

According to The Times of Israel, the plan promises that “no one will be forced to leave Gaza” and that those who do leave will be permitted to return. Palestinians would supposedly be “encouraged” to remain and given the chance to build a “better future.” But these assurances ring hollow in light of Trump’s own statements earlier this year. In February 2025, he openly called for the US to “take over” and “own” Gaza, suggesting that Palestinians could be displaced to allow for large-scale redevelopment.