The 20-point ceasefire proposal from the US president for Gaza contains a lot of ambiguous terms that could have an impact on both Palestine’s future and the region.
President Donald Trump praised the plan as historic when he presented it to the White House on Monday alongside Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel. However, figuring out the specifics of some of its components will likely be a major challenge in its implementation.
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Five of the proposal’s five unresolved issues are listed below:
What will the government of Gaza be like?
A “temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” would be the subject of the proposal’s proposal. However, it does not go into specifics about the selection process or how the panel will be formed.
Additionally, the plan specifies that the governing committee would be led by Trump and Toni Blair, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom. The Palestinian committee’s relationship with this board and the Palestinian committee is not described in the roadmap, nor does it specify how often daily decisions would be made.
Will there be a Palestinian Authority?
According to Trump’s plan, the transitional authorities won’t relinquish control of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s) reform program is complete and that they “can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza.” However, it is unclear who would confirm the PA’s readiness to occupy Gaza or what standards must be met in order for the PA to administer the territory.
No schedules are provided; all is left to say.
Additionally, the proposal’s language requires a unified Palestinian territory with the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory because Gaza is treated as an independent entity and not a part of Palestine.
Netanyahu, in contrast, has almost ruled out a PA return to Gaza, saying he approved of the proposal.
The Israeli prime minister, who was addressing Trump, declared that Gaza would not be administered by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
What will the formation of the international force entail?
A temporary International Stabilization Force would be established under the plan, but where would it be and what would its duties be?
Which nations would be willing to send troops to Gaza and which would be in line with the plan are undetermined.
The proposed peacekeepers’ obligations and engagement policies are not included in the proposal.
Would they be an observer force, police force, or army? Would they be tasked with defeating Hamas? Would they be able to oppose Israeli forces in a Palestinian defense?
When will Israel end its war?
According to the proposal, Israel will leave Gaza “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes related to demilitarization.”
Again, the agreement does not provide definite guidelines for how and when the Israeli withdrawal would take place.
In addition, it states that until the area is “properly secure from any resurgent terror threat,” Israel will maintain a “security perimeter” there.
However, it’s unclear who would decide whether these requirements are met in the end.
Is it possible to become a state of Palestine?
Trump claimed at his news conference on Monday that several allies had “foolishly acknowledged the Palestinian state… but they’re actually, I believe, doing that because they’re very sick of what’s happening.”
The proposal makes reference to the possibility of a Palestinian state hidden behind a thick wall of uncertainties, terms, and qualifiers.
The conditions may finally be in place for a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the Palestinian people’s aspiration, according to the statement.
Therefore, the “reforms” for Gaza and the PA are conditional. Even so, there might still be discussions about a Palestinian state. It is not certain.
Additionally, the proposal does not acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state. Instead, it acknowledges Palestinians’ desire for statehood.
