Palestine is now the conscience of the world. No deal will change that

Palestine is now the conscience of the world. No deal will change that

Donald Trump’s announcement this week was more a caricature of a peace agreement than an actual plan. The so-called breakthrough, crafted between an American supporter and an Israeli aggressor, left the Palestinians entirely out of the equation. Their leaders, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, were absent from the scene—no representatives, no voice, no stake in the outcome.

Trump sat alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, praising his “agreement” to a proposal drafted by the president himself. Palestinians were not present to challenge or endorse the terms. This pattern mirrors the colonial approach that fueled the Abraham Accords, where deals are struck over Palestine without consultation. It’s a spectacle of “peace” that ignores occupation, blockade, and the systematic erasure of Palestinian identity.

“Who could believe it?” Netanyahu exclaimed, expressing surprise that Muslim governments would lend legitimacy to Israel’s dictate. The plan, stripped of its flimsy rhetoric, hinges on one tangible goal: the return of hostages. Everything else is mere distraction, a fog of vague promises that mask continued occupation.

Netanyahu has long targeted Palestinian negotiators, from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to those in Doha who met to discuss Trump’s draft. His strategy remains clear: eliminate the opposition, suppress dialogue, and then claim victory with the backing of Washington. The deal is not a negotiation—it is an imposition, a victory achieved through diplomacy when force failed.

Israel’s military campaigns have not crushed Gaza, nor has it secured hostage returns through war alone. Palestinian resistance persists, and Trump’s agreement seeks to transform this into a triumph. Yet the reality is stark: the plan does not grant autonomy or recognition, but reduces the occupied to a state of subjugation. Arab leaders, invited to bolster the deal, are not allies but enforcers of submission.

Global sentiment has shifted decisively against Israel, with younger generations leading the charge. At the United Nations, Netanyahu stood alone as 77 delegations walked out, leaving him to speak to empty seats. This isolation reflects a growing world conscience, one that sees Palestine as a symbol of justice. The deal, however, aims to stifle that momentum, replacing agency with control.

History will judge this moment harshly. A ceasefire agreement that excludes the occupied is not peace—it is a colonial edict, a revival of 20th-century mandates under new jargon. Just as the Balfour Declaration ceded Palestinian land without consent, this plan strips Palestinians of their right to self-determination. The “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump and overseen by Tony Blair is a new chapter in the same story of empire.

Trump and Netanyahu can draft as many plans as they wish, but the world’s gaze remains fixed on Palestine. The Gaza Humiliation Foundation, as the deal is now called, is a modern echo of past atrocities. And the Muslim rulers who stand beside Netanyahu—whether in Doha, Abu Dhabi, or Washington—are not partners, but collaborators in surrender.