On 29th September, 2025, the US President Donald Trump, in a joint press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, presented a so-called peace plan to end the ongoing war in Gaza. Leaders of eight Arab and Muslim states, including Pakistan, supported this vague peace plan. However, Muslims around the world are disgruntled over the biased stipulations of this agreement. The 20-point plan, proposed by President Trump, accuses Hamas of the two-year-long Israeli aggression in Gaza. According to President Trump’s proposal, “Gaza will be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.” Through this stipulation, the Trump administration seeks to blame Hamas for all the transpirations since October 7, 2023, and it labels Hamas and other resistance forces in Gaza as terrorist organizations. Nonetheless, the reality is quite contrary. The Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank predate the October 7 Hamas attack.
Ignoring War Crimes: The Reality on the Ground
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) unleashed unfathomable atrocities in Gaza in the last two years. According to conservative reports, the IDF has killed more than 80,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, since October 7th. However, the actual death toll is far higher than the reported figures, as scores of dead bodies are still buried under rubble. The IDF has intentionally targeted the civilian population and infrastructure of the Gaza Strip to perpetuate this war and materialize its ambition of occupying Gaza. In addition, the IDF intentionally targeted hospitals, mosques, churches, schools, and health workers in the Gaza enclave. The Zionist forces also targeted aid workers and journalists in their genocidal operations in Gaza to isolate. Moreover, the Israeli government is using hunger and starvation as a weapon of war to maximize the death toll in Gaza.
The Double Standard: Who Is the Real Threat?
Furthermore, not Hamas but the illegitimate Zionist state is a threat to the neighboring countries. For decades, the IDF has been violating the sovereignty of different Middle Eastern nations. Recently, it attacked the Hamas negotiation team in Doha, Qatar, to disrupt the peace negotiations. The IDF also assassinated several Iranian high-level military officials in Syria and Iran. It also bombarded Lebanon, Tunisia, Yemen, and the West Bank, violating international law, over the past few years. According to a UN report, the IDF also raped several Palestinian women during the last two years of its genocidal operation in Gaza. However, President Trump remains oblivious to all the war crimes of the Zionist state and solely blames Hamas for all the events that occurred in Gaza after the October 7th incident. Indeed, the only entity that has been shooting children in the head and sniping medical workers is the one that needs to be disarmed.
Disarmament Without Accountability
Another controversial stipulation of the proposal states, “Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.” This stipulation is widely viewed as a biased condition as it seeks to disarm Hamas without asking the IDF to evacuate the Gaza Strip. In addition, the new 20-point Gaza peace plan binds Hamas to refrain from any participation in the future governance of Gaza and the West Bank. All such stipulations seek to force Hamas to surrender without any assurance of peace in Gaza, and holding Israeli war criminals accountable for their war crimes and genocidal actions. This controversial peace proposal to disarm Hamas renders the resistance group defenseless against the Zionist state. However, this provision points to the IDF’s inability to neutralize Hamas entirely, with the latter still mounting substantial resistance against the Zionist state’s illegal occupation. Moreover, while the proposal asks Hamas to entirely surrender its weapons, it does not suggest any timeline for the withdrawal of the Israeli defense forces of Israel from the Gaza Strip.
The “Board of Peace”: A Mask for Western Hypocrisy
In another controversial move, President Donald Trump has announced the establishment of a new international transitional body, the Board of Peace, which will “set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza”. This body will be headed by different heads of State. However, the inclusion of the former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who is known as a war criminal due to his role in the killings of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis under the US-led invasion of Iraq, further increases international doubts and concerns about this proposal. This exposes the Western hypocrisy about human rights. Moreover, it signals that the Trump administration is openly standing with war criminals and aggressors. Furthermore, it reveals the Trump administration’s real intentions behind this so-called peace plan for Gaza. Indeed, President Donald Trump’s proposal could be anything but a peace proposal.
Undermining the Palestinian Cause and Two-State Solution
President Trump’s peace proposal is widely seen as an extension of the colonial project of Israel. The peace proposal has been drafted and announced without the involvement of Hamas or other Palestinian stakeholders. However, President Trump seeks to coerce Hamas to accept this so-called peace plan. He has given a 3-4 day ultimatum to Hamas to accept the proposal. While talking about the acceptance of this plan by Hamas, Trump warned, “We’re just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not. And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.” Moreover, while threatening Hamas, the US President stated, “Israel has ‘full backing’ of US to take steps to defeat Hamas if it doesn’t accept proposed peace deal.”
The Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also threatened Hamas by stating, “Israel will finish the job if Hamas rejects the plan or does not follow through.” This demonstrates that this so-called peace proposal is merely a colonial project, as it makes the Zionist leader Netanyahu, the killer of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, look victorious and the Israeli state a victim. Moreover, it provides the Israeli state with an opportunity to occupy Gaza and unleash unprecedented violence in the Strip in case Hamas rejects this one-sided and biased proposal. President Trump’s peace proposal totally favors Israel and is a step towards the death of the idea of the creation of the Palestinian state.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu states, “The entire framework is consistent with his objectives for ending the war. That is, to see Hamas disarmed, Gaza demilitarised and no future Palestinian state being established.” This illustrates the underlying objective of this so-called peace plan. The West seeks to alter the international and domestic narrative about Hamas and Gaza through this proposal. The new Trump plan says that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza and will hand over the Gaza territory to the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF). However, the Israeli PM says that the IDF will not withdraw from the Gaza territory it occupies, raising concerns over the implementation of the 20-point proposal.
While some Arab and Muslim states, along with the Palestinian Authority, welcomed this proposal, Palestinian factions have expressed concerns over this proposal, warning that it may be intentionally made unworkable. The events and statements of the US and Israeli leaders following this proposal endorse these concerns. It appears that the Trump administration seeks to put an end to the idea of a two-state solution. The support of the Muslim nations to this proposal is tantamount to a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. Although Qatar and Pakistan have distanced themselves from this proposal by stating that it is not the proposal that was agreed upon by them, they need to do more to hamper any Israeli aggression if Hamas or other Palestinian resistance groups reject this plan. Otherwise, all the governments of the Muslim countries supporting this proposal will have to face a severe public backlash. The PML (N) government in Pakistan already lacks public support. Its support for this so-called peace proposal will further decrease its popularity in the country. In addition, the incumbent Pakistani government could face destabilization and public uprising if it did not outrightly reject this plan.
Pakistan’s Role: Betraying the Founding Vision?
The incumbent government’s support for the proposal stands in direct contradiction to both the vision of Pakistan’s founding father and the principles enshrined in the country’s constitution. Article 40 of the Constitution of Pakistan makes it obligatory for the country to support Palestinians and other oppressed Muslims around the world. In addition, Pakistan’s betrayal of the Palestinian cause will also compromise the country’s stance on the Kashmir issue, as both regions face similar illegitimate occupation. Pakistan was created based on Islamic principles, and the Founding Father of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, rejected the creation of a Zionist state in the Middle East. He stated, “Western forces were forcibly driving a Western wedge [by creating Israel] into the heart of the Middle East.” He also declared that Israel is “an illegitimate child of the West”.
Many left-wing politicians and analysts hold that Pakistan should recognize Israel and join the Abraham Accords. However, this would not only be against the ideology of Quaid-e-Azam but would also amount to being an accomplice in the ensuing occupation, tyranny, oppression, and violence in Palestinian territory. Moreover, it would also compromise the religious obligation of protecting Al Quds. Therefore, it would be wise for the incumbent government to distance itself from this so-called peace proposal. In addition, it should attempt to resolve the Palestine issue in the light of Quaid’s vision and in accordance with the UN resolutions and international law. Indeed, the first step in establishing peace in the region is the establishment of a temporary ceasefire. However, no agreement contrary to the narrative of the native Palestinian people should be signed by any side. In addition, Palestinian self-determination is imperative to end the war in Gaza.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Muhammad Hamza Tanvir is a political analyst specialising in South Asian and Middle Eastern affairs. His work focuses on religious nationalism, regional security, and minority rights. He has been featured in Stratheia, Pakistan Today, Pakistan Observer, and the Asian Mirror. He is also working as a research analyst and political commentator for Paradigm Shift and contributes to the monthly magazine of Nearpeer