Trump’s 20-point “peace plan” now moves into a ceasefire phase. Reports say Hamas and other Palestinian factions have agreed to a framework in Sharm El-Sheikh, trusting Trump to be the guarantor of a permanent ceasefire. Israeli forces, however, will remain in Gaza even after captives are released.
This pattern is not new. For more than a century, foreign powers have dictated the terms of Palestinian existence — from the 1917 Balfour Declaration to Oslo to this latest plan. Each time, Palestinians are told what freedom should look like instead of defining it themselves.
Human rights organizations have been clear:
- Amnesty International says the plan ignores Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and ongoing genocide in Gaza. It fails to meet even basic human rights standards.
- Human Rights Watch warns the plan risks formalizing ethnic cleansing by allowing Israeli forces to remain in Gaza.
- B’Tselem calls it what it is: not peace, but apartheid.
The BDS Movement reminds the world that peace cannot exist without justice. Its three demands remain grounded in international law:
- End Israel’s occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the apartheid wall.
- Recognize the full equality of Palestinian citizens of Israel.
- Respect and promote the right of return for Palestinian refugees under UN Resolution 194.
As long as these demands remain unmet, every “peace plan” is another colonial arrangement — a white power deciding what freedom means for a people of color.
Palestinians are again told to surrender their right to self-determination for promises written by others. Even now, Israel continues to occupy Gaza, dictate terms, and decide who stays and who leaves.
True peace will never come from the same powers who enable occupation. It begins when Palestinians — not presidents, not mediators — decide their own future.
SOCIAL MEDIA CAPTION: Why are Palestinians still denied the right to decide their own destiny?
Trump’s “peace plan” repeats the same colonial mindset of the Balfour Declaration — where others decide what freedom means for them. True peace starts with justice, equality, and the right of return.
#Palestine #InternationalLaw #BDSMovement #Decolonize
