From ‘security’ to subjugation: How Trump’s Gaza plan enables Israeli expansion

Argument
By Editor_1
US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hold the signed agreement of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday (October 13, 2025) - Reuters

By Latheef Farook

United States President Donald Trump’s proposed 20-point plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which critics argue facilitates an Israeli genocide of Palestinians, demands the disarming of Hamas and the establishment of a new political representation for Gazans. The stated goal is to ensure the security of Israel, which many view as a settler-colonial state.

This promise of security stands in stark contrast to the historical and ongoing insecurity faced by Palestinians. Their lands were taken by Zionist groups under British colonial rule to establish Israel, a state that has subjected Palestinians to bombing, displacement, and violence for over three-quarters of a century.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been declared a war criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC), is seen by many as deserving of a Nuremberg-style trial for his actions. Instead, he has been bolstered by a US plan that aims to eradicate Hamas and, in effect, eliminate the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice. Furthermore, various Arab regimes have supported this initiative, which would neutralize Hamas and potentially reduce the Palestinian political entity to irrelevance.

It is noteworthy that this peace plan originates from President Trump, who, along with former President Joe Biden, has overseen the allocation of over US$30 billion in American taxpayer money to fund Israel’s military campaign and the destruction of Gaza. This support continues while Netanyahu openly expresses his connection to the vision of a ‘Greater Israel’, which encompasses occupied Palestinian territories and parts of neighbouring Arab states.

UN Commissioner Navi Pillay has criticized Trump’s Gaza plan for excluding Palestinians from transitional governance, stating that a ceasefire proposal does not alter the UN’s finding that Israel is responsible for genocide. Echoing this scepticism, columnist Rifat Jawaid questioned whether Netanyahu can be trusted to adhere to any ceasefire, citing his violation of a previous deal in March once hostages were released.

Hamas emerged in 1987 during the first intifada, founded by the respected Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Its establishment was a response to widespread disillusionment with the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) compromises and agreements with Israel. Rooted in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas built a robust sociopolitical structure within the territories. However, the US, which critics describe as hostile to Islam and Muslims, designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Hamas’ 1988 charter defines Palestine, including present-day Israel, as an Islamic homeland that can never be surrendered to non-Muslims, and it declares holy war a religious duty to liberate it. This position created a fundamental conflict with Yasser Arafat’s PLO, which recognized Israel’s right to exist in 1988. Hamas opposed the 1993 Oslo Accords and later won the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, subsequently taking control of the Gaza Strip.

In October 2023, after decades of what it termed extreme Israeli oppression, Hamas launched a major attack on Israel, triggering the ongoing devastating war. Notably, American political scientist John Mearsheimer has alleged that Israel itself killed Israeli citizens and blamed Hamas to justify a pre-planned genocide coordinated with US and European partners.

While Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stated there could be no future role for Hamas in Gaza, and regional powers like Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey pressured the group to accept disarmament, Hamas has shown a willingness to negotiate. Khalil al-Hayya, head of its negotiating team, stated, “We are ready and positive to [work] towards an agreement that would see the end of the war, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and an exchange of prisoners… so our Palestinian people may live in peace.”

On Monday, October 13, 2025, an international summit co-chaired by President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was held in Sharm El-Sheikh. The summit, which included leaders from over 20 countries but notably excluded both Hamas and Israel, aimed to discuss the future governance, security, and humanitarian assistance for Gaza. The event was hosted by Trump and Sisi, who critics label a dictator installed in power by Gulf states after he overthrew the democratically elected government of Mohamed Morsy of the Muslim Brotherhood.

During the summit, Trump gave the floor to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who praised Trump as a “man of peace” and announced Pakistan’s nomination of the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize. This episode underscores, for many, the shameful complicity of Muslim rulers. Such “treacherous” leaders will eventually disappear, but the Palestinian people will endure in their struggle for legitimate rights and dignity.

Palestinian intellectual Azzam Tamimi succinctly summarized the core issue: “lasting peace will remain elusive without an end to occupation”.

This regional hostility toward Hamas is further illustrated in Bob Woodward’s book The War, which sheds light on private discussions between Arab leaders and then–US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. According to Woodward, leaders from Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia not only distanced themselves from Gaza but were effectively complicit in policies that led to its destruction. These leaders reportedly agreed that Hamas must be eliminated, expressing little concern for the resulting Palestinian casualties.

Woodward notes that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed was among the hardest-line voices, insisting that the war should continue until Hamas was completely wiped out in Gaza.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told Blinken, “Israel should not have trusted Hamas. We warned Netanyahu repeatedly. Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood.” He had further warned that extremist groups not only target Israel but also threaten to overthrow Arab governments. “We are concerned about the repercussions of Israel’s actions in Gaza on our collective security, and what comes after Hamas could be worse. ISIS came after Al-Qaeda and is worse than it.”

Woodward writes that Prince Faisal reiterated to Blinken, “Hamas must be eliminated. We have repeatedly warned Israel that Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood. We can give Israel the space and time to eliminate Hamas, but Israel must also help us by allowing humanitarian aid in so as not to provoke the Arab peoples.”

At this point, Blinken and his team reportedly understood the seriousness of the Egyptian regime’s desire to remove Hamas. Blinken is said to have passed on intelligence about Gaza’s tunnel network, along with Egyptian General Abbas Kamel’s message, directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In this context, how could Hamas, claiming to represent both Islam and the Palestinian cause, expect meaningful support from Arab regimes that openly align with US-European-backed Israeli actions in Gaza?

– Latheef Farook is a veteran Sri Lankan journalist and author who started his journalistic career in 1966, with the now defunct Independent Newspapers Ltd., and went on to become a world-renowned journalist, respected author and expert on international affairs

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