Hope and skepticism after two years of war in Gaza

Special Envoy to JerusalemThe day before the second anniversary of the Gaza war, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed this Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, with Donald Trump's plan on the table. After two years of indiscriminate bombings that have destroyed 98% of the houses, have left hospitals destroyed or understaffed, have destroyed farmland, and with seven months of blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid that has caused the worst hunger crisis on the planet, a prospect opens up not of peace but at least of de-escalation. Trump seems determined to put a stop to Israel's genocidal offensive, but by imposing draconian conditions on the Palestinians. Europe and the Arab countries support him: there is no alternative plan. And knowing he holds the upper hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a technical delegation with no decision-making power. Sources in Egypt, the mediator and host of the talks, have already warned that "there will be no quick agreement."

On Friday in the Israeli city of Sderot, just one kilometer from the Gaza border, families with children climbed the hill from which there is a panoramic view of the northern Strip, reduced to a mountain of rubble. "Look, son, we continue bombing: no one will be left alive," an old man told a 10-year-old boy, before handing him binoculars to contemplate the macabre spectacle of destruction. A woman lifted her young son to reach the viewfinder of the binoculars installed by the City Council, allowing them to view the spectacle up close, for the modest price of 5 shekels (1.3 euros).

On October 7, 2023, Hamas committed an act of horror against Israel. Hundreds of militants managed to enter the country and killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians. The Islamist group also kidnapped 240 people, some of whom are still in captivity. The wound of October 7, a national trauma, is still clearly visible in the country. The attacks of October 7 unleashed the horrific Israeli response against the Strip, resulting in the genocidal war that has already killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians.

Also on Friday, relatives of the Israeli hostages still held in the Gaza Strip demonstrated, as they have done every day for almost two years, outside Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem under the slogan "Now or never." The brother of two of the captives shouted through a megaphone: "President Trump has presented an agreement to free all 48 hostages and end this war; something many said was impossible. President Trump, we are with you. Don't stop. Now or never." The movement, which brings together the captives' families, sent a letter to the Norwegian committee on Monday asking it to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump because "this year no other leader or organization has contributed more to world peace" than he has. The letter makes no mention of the Palestinians.

It's no coincidence that the families of the Israeli hostages are endorsing Trump's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, which will be awarded this Friday. Many in Israel are convinced that the US president's obsession with the award is what has prompted him to force Netanyahu back to the negotiating table. It should not be forgotten that less than a month ago The Israeli Prime Minister ordered the bombing of the Hamas delegation meeting in Doha to discuss the latest US plan.This unleashed a wave of international condemnation and a few days later Netanyahu appeared at the UN General Assembly in a virtually empty auditorium. due to the boycott of most countries. Israel has never been so isolated. But Trump's plan has turned the situation upside down. Netanyahu has ensured that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza is not a precondition for the release of the hostages, nor is a territorial line or clear timeline established. In short: he has carte blanche to continue occupying Gaza.

A peace based on business

Kobby Barda, an expert on US-Israel relations, is making the rounds these days on Israeli television sets, where he is portrayed as someone who predicted the US president's every move point by point. "The plan of the winners, which is Israel and the United States, prevails. That means no one from Gaza will ever be able to attack Israel again. Whoever isn't willing can go wherever they want," he says. Barda says Trump has sought a different formula than the previous ones. A model based on business, the famous Riviera on the Mediterranean. "The model for this reconstruction was defined by Israeli professor Joe Feldman of George Washington University according to the BOT model (build-operate-transfer [build-operate-transfer]), by which private companies would rebuild the Strip, operate the infrastructure to recover their investment for a decade, and then transfer it to the new authority. During that time, a foreign committee chaired by Trump and with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as its executive director would function as executive director, as it would impose internal order, before being able to hand over control to a Palestinian Authority that, due to its open collaboration with Israel, corruption, and despotism, has lost the trust of the Palestinians.

Now the blame game begins. If Hamas does not accept, it will be seen as the one to blame for the lack of peace and then Netanyahu will have all the international credit to continue the genocide: he will have a few more months of neck power to complete the conquest of Gaza City. no doubt: "This is the only plan on the table," which all governments have embarked on, from Washington to Cairo via Madrid. wants this to end and Hamas knows it. "The question is to see, in this catastrophic situation, what formula they will come up with, because right now this is just a plan for a ceasefire. We Palestinians cannot accept Israeli control of Gaza, nor can we accept a group of five foreigners ruling it," he adds. From Bethlehem, he recalls that in the shadow of the genocide in Gaza, in the West Bank, "50,000 Palestinians have been expelled from their homes, while the most far-right government of settler violence: the question is not whether Israel will annex the West Bank, but when." Abu Zeid emphasizes that there has been "a radical shift in public opinion, even in countries allied to Israel, including the United States, where many people say they do not want their country to continue to be involved in a genocide on the streets." He also emphasizes that Netanyahu and his allies are "a radical shift in public opinion."