US President Joe Biden laid out a detailed three-stage peace proposal to end the Gaza war this month. The Israeli proposal, which, according to multiple sources including the BBC and CNN, includes a six-week ceasefire between the parties in which the Israel Defense Forces would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza and there would be a surge of humanitarian aid and the release of hostages and prisoners, negotiations and a permanent ceasefire and final end of the war and a major rebuilding plan for Gaza, will end the war, which has by this time killed more than 36000 Palestinians. But it may or may not bring lasting peace between the parties unless the state of Palestine is established.
It is notable that there was a lack of a planned and/or detailed roadmap to end the Gaza war, though several steps have so far been made. While a ceasefire was reached earlier that led to the release of Hamas-held hostages and Palestinian prisoners from Israel, the United Nations resolution on the complete ceasefire and the International Court of Justice’s ruling to halt the Gaza and Rafah offensive, there have been continuing peace talks in Doha involving several mediating parties such as the United States, Qatar and Egypt. But continued attacks and disruption in humanitarian aid to Gaza led to indiscriminate killings and inhumane conditions. Under such circumstances, the proposal is unique — though all other efforts were crucial too— and praiseworthy.
The positive side is that Hamas released a statement reacting positively to the proposal, which came at a time when Israeli forces were operating in central parts of Rafah. It expressed willingness to engage “in a constructive manner” with any proposal on a permanent end to the fighting. But there may be challenges to reaching the ratio of hostages to prisoners to be released in the first phase. Moreover, Israel has not yet agreed with the proposal, though it is said to be an Israeli proposal, and expressed concerns over the staying of Hamas in the post-war administration in Gaza and interest in continuing the war unless the latter is eliminated ”completely”.
But, pertinently, it remains unclear whether there will be a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine without the resolution of the Israel-Palestine crisis, through the second phase can provide the scope of intense negotiations. Notably, the Gaza war is not a separate event between the parties. Frequent clashes have been occurring between the parties for several decades — leading to thousands of deaths. In addition to the current war, two wars including the Six-Day War between Israel and several Arab countries including Egypt and Jordan occurred. Since Palestine wants to be a fully sovereign state, its persuasion will probably continue. Consequently, further conflicts are likely in the future too.
But it is definitely desired that the Gaza war be ended. For this, the proposal is relevant and time-worthy. The good intentions of the parties including Israel and Hamas are vital to move forward with this plan. But given that bringing peace between the countries requires the resolution of the Israel-Palestine crisis, the resolution of the Gaza war needs to include the establishment of a two-state solution too. In the second phase, intense negotiations need to focus on reaching a permanent ceasefire with a two-state solution. For this, the role of the United States is vital, along with the European Union.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
