IT appears that the leaders of the Muslim world have been played by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. Though many Muslim governments, including our own, initially welcomed the 20-point Gaza ‘peace’ plan, when the reality of what it articulates — Palestinian surrender, Israeli impunity, colonial control of Gaza — dawned on them, clarifications began to pour in.

As per media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made changes to the plan that were not included in the original scheme, which US President Trump had discussed with the leaders of several Muslim states in New York last week. Perhaps that is why Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had to clarify on Tuesday that “this is not our document”, despite Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s initial euphoria. Other Muslim states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye, have similarly been caught off guard by the American-Israeli sleight of hand. Reportedly, the Qataris asked the US to hold off on announcing the plan, a request that Washington clearly spurned.

If reports of Israeli tinkering with the plan are true — the contents of this atrocious deal leave little room for doubt on that count — then the Muslim world must ask itself some important questions.

For one, how was Israel able to alter a deal that several Muslim states had already agreed to, and why did the US let it happen? Secondly, how was the plan finalised, with little to no input from the Palestinians — the party most affected by Israel’s brutal violence? The plan effectively neutralises Hamas, and puts the Palestinian Authority in its place, until it begs Israel for forgiveness and atones for its ‘sins’. If the two biggest Palestinian parties are excluded from the deal, who will run Gaza? Will the Palestinian ‘technocrats’, who are supposed to administer the occupied Strip, have to swear an oath of fealty to Israel, and forever denounce aspirations of a viable Palestinian state? That is the feeling that emerges after reading this embarrassment of a document.

Furthermore, there is no mention of a clear roadmap towards a two-state solution with Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, only vague language about a “credible pathway”.

The fact is that there is nothing credible about this plan, and its chances of success are close to zero. Reports indicate that Hamas is unlikely to accept it, while there have even been rumblings of discontent within Fatah. Mr Trump has promised a “very sad end” in case Hamas rejects the scheme. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to pummel the civilians of Gaza as Hamas’s response is awaited; this shows how ‘committed’ Tel Aviv is to peace. If and when this charade collapses, Muslim leaders must ask themselves what they got in return for placing blind faith in America and Israel.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2025