British Palestinians have expressed concerns following President Trump’s announcement of a 20-point plan aiming to end almost two years of violence between Israel and Hamas.
The plan calls for the return of all Israeli and Palestinian hostages, including some 1,700 Gazans who were detained after 7 October 2023.
Other notable aspects of the plan outline an absolute demilitarisation of Gaza, the establishment of a Trump-managed ‘peace board’ to allocate funds for the redevelopment of the Strip, and the deployment of an ‘International Stabilization Force (ISF) as a ‘long-term internal security solution’.
The Londoners spoke to members of the British-Palestinian community, with many expressing disappointment over this development.
Nadia Dabbagh, 51, British-Palestinian author of How do we even talk about Palestine and Israel? said: “This plan worries me – it is reminiscent of the Oslo Accords, in that there’s no talk of the settlements.
“With no clear plan, I think it side-steps the main issue: the occupation of Palestine.
“There is nothing in this plan which makes both parties invested in each other’s safety.
“But anything to stop the killing is a step in the right direction.”
Comments drawing parallels between past events in the Middle East continue to form a significant feature of Palestinian dialogue surrounding Trump’s plan.
Yaser, 21, a Palestinian law student living in the UK, who asked for his last name to remain undisclosed, said: “I do not think this plan is going to bring an end to what Israel is doing in Gaza – the biggest sign being Tony Blair on this so-called ‘Board of Peace’ – Iraq still has not recovered from what he did 20 years ago.
“He is responsible for the deaths of so many in the Middle East – if this 20-point plan includes him, it’s clear to me that they still don’t care about giving the Palestinian people their own autonomy.”
As with Trump’s decision to include the former British prime minister in the rebuilding of Gaza, the decision to exclude a full plan for self-determination has drawn much criticism.
Arwa Elrayess,19, a British-Palestinian student from London, said: “Discussions of self-determination in this peace plan were very much an afterthought – they were only discussed at around point 19.
“Real peace for the Palestinians will not come from those who have aided and abetted on what is now recognised as a genocide – this plan does not make mention of any kind of justice.
“And because of this, I cannot help but see this plan as a delegation of Palestinian rights away from the Palestinian people.”
Featured image credit: Dan Scavino via Wikimedia Commons
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