Analysis
An agreement on Palestine without the Palestinians
While diplomacy is being conducted in New York, families are being massacred in Gaza. Israel has bombed another clinic run by the Palestinian Medical Relief Society and is preparing to besiege al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Turkish President Erdoğan described the meeting between eight Arab and Islamic countries and U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday as “fruitful.” In the afternoon, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a joint statement outlining their proposal for working together with Trump: despite the latter’s unconditional support for his ally Israel and his promotion of an ethnic cleansing plan, the White House's promises of peace (and business) continue to be taken at face value.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan discussed with the U.S. president the need for a ceasefire that would include the release of Israeli hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. This would be only the first step toward a “just and sustainable peace.” The eight countries expect that this can be achieved only if all plans for the forced transfer of Palestinians from the Strip are cancelled.
In their joint statement, the Arab and Islamic leaders affirmed their readiness to collaborate with President Trump. They also supported a security and reconstruction plan to be implemented with international support, on the condition that the status of Jerusalem’s holy sites is safeguarded and the West Bank is stabilized.
Everyone seems to agree that Hamas should have no role in post-war Gaza. Despite Israeli opposition, the idea of a “reformed” Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is again taking center stage. The Arab League and the OIC have proposed to support its efforts to reorganize itself. The countries that have recognized the state of Palestine, led by France, view the government of Mahmoud Abbas as a reliable governing body.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said at the UN that the PNA would train some 5,000 Palestinian police officers who, along with another 5,000 trained by Egypt and Jordan, are expected to take over security responsibility for Gaza. According to the plans being discussed, this handover could occur after a six-month transitional technocratic government. During this period – and likely for several years to come – the U.S. would have a military presence on the ground in Gaza. The Arab countries are saying the American presence is necessary to ensure Israel complies with the agreements.
Furthermore, the U.S. presence could be sold to Tel Aviv as a way to ensure Hamas does not have room to reorganize. However, this is all contingent on the Israeli security cabinet voting for a plan that would cancel the dreams of ethnic cleansing and Israeli resettlement, provide for the army’s withdrawal from the Strip, and, most of all, renounce the de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank.
This is what the Arab and Islamic countries want from Trump. They have stated clearly and repeatedly that an expansion of the Abraham Accords – official economic agreements between Israel and other states in the region – is possible only if Tel Aviv does not technically annex the West Bank. This would perhaps be the most difficult pill for Netanyahu’s allies to swallow, though they could still freely continue to expand settlements, occupy Palestinian homes and land, and provide cover for settler rampages.
According to sources cited by Politico, the U.S. president reportedly promised them he would prevent annexation. The White House has not yet confirmed these reports, which also suggest that Washington is set to present a ceasefire plan that includes the release of all Israeli hostages, the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the withdrawal of the Israeli army.
But Tel Aviv’s military seems to have no intention of stopping. While diplomacy is being conducted in New York, families are being massacred in Gaza. Israel has bombed another clinic run by the Palestinian Medical Relief Society and is preparing to besiege al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. In the central Strip, at Nuseirat, Israeli strikes hit tents put up by displaced people in what was once a sports field at the al-Ahli stadium.
Twelve Palestinians were killed, including seven women and two children. The worst massacre occurred near the Faras market in central Gaza City, where a devastating airstrike destroyed warehouses that had been turned into shelters for the displaced. Twenty people were killed; once again, the victims included many children and entire families. Israel claimed to have killed a Palestinian military commander.
In the span of two days, one Israeli soldier was killed by a grenade and another was wounded. The toll could rise, as the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Wednesday that they had hit two tanks in Gaza City. Meanwhile, a drone launched from Yemen wounded 22 people in Eilat, two of whom are reported to be in serious condition.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/i-patti-su-gaza-senza-palestinesi on 2025-09-25