On October 10th, a Trump-brokered Gaza ceasefire was signed by Israel and Hamas, part of Trump’s 20-Point Peace Deal for the war. Two years after the violent terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas on October 7th, the war seems to be coming to a long-awaited end.
Despite this recent ceasefire, Palestinians remain far from achieving a secure future or meaningful progress towards statehood.
Phase one of Trump’s 20-Point Peace Deal, among other things, includes the return of hostages and prisoners and the withdrawal of the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) from Gaza.
According to the deal, the IDF will pull back to what is known as the “yellow line”, a predetermined perimeter set back from where they were posted further inside the Gaza Strip. The BBC reports, “Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF [International Stabilisation Force]… until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza.” This first phase of the withdrawal, to the “yellow line”, splits Gaza roughly into two equal areas.
Already, Israel is violating this part of the deal. According to the BBC, satellite images show that the IDF has posted its line of control “positioned hundreds of metres deeper inside the strip than the expected withdrawal line.”
To be fair, Israel is not the only party violating the ceasefire; Hamas has yet to return all the bodies of the deceased hostages. CNN states that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed Hamas returned “remains to Israel that did not belong to any of the 13 hostages still unaccounted for in the enclave”.
The ceasefire deal being on shaky ground and war threatening to restart, however, is just the beginning.
Phase two of Trump’s plan includes the opportunity for a path to Palestinian statehood. According to the BBC, this consists of a preliminary governance by a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee”, but with oversight from and the rebuilding of Gaza managed by Trump and other members of this “Board of Peace.”
Admittedly, this plan, although questionable, is promising and hopeful. It’s logical to have an international peacekeeping and rebuilding organization as Gaza transitions to democratic stability and militant groups are dealt with.
The problem is: will this plan be fully implemented?
The Guardian states that, “…the yellow line continues to take on a more permanent form, and is increasingly referred to in Israeli media as a ‘new border.’” They also report a consistent number of Palestinians shot by IDF soldiers for getting too near the pseudo-border.
Moreover, the Wall Street Journal reports that Israel is “strengthening fortifications and establishing infrastructure” within Israeli-occupied territory in the Gaza Strip.
So far, Israel has taken more land than it is allotted in the Gaza Strip, enforced those new borders, and is now preparing those borders for permanent control. Based on this, it is clear that Israel does not want the deal to be completed. They are profiting enough from it being frozen at its current stage, when they are in control of half of Gaza.
If this is allowed, what is stopping Israel from repeating this process? Stealing land after committing what the UN Human Rights Council has declared a genocide is inexcusably atrocious. Prime Minister Netanyahu clearly does not care about the prosperity or safety of the Palestinians, or else he would have gone along with the peace deal set out by Trump for the reconstruction of Gaza.
If Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Israel has its way, there will be no Palestinian state, ever, nor the assurance that Palestinians will be safe.
Blame does not end with Israel, however. The U.S. government has funneled over $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel, just since October 7th, 2023. If Americans condemn what Israel is doing to take over Gaza, elections should be where they act. Vote for leaders of our country who uphold human rights and hold our allies accountable, no matter who they are.
