Gaza deal imperfect but ‘the only game in town’
Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg says “sticking points” over how to implement the future stages of Trump’s Gaza plan are predictable, given that both Israel and Hamas have effectively been forced into it.
“This isn’t even really a deal,” but more of a “superimposed arrangement” that the two sides have been forced into by the US and Middle East powers, Goldberg told Al Jazeera.
“This is almost all sticking points and very little secure arrangements that can proceed gradually. Most egregiously, the Palestinians are not a part of this deal unless it is through semi-covert negotiations with Hamas. They are not heard. Their interests are not adequately represented,” he added.
“That said, this is the only game in town. Neither the Israelis nor Hamas were capable of bringing Israel’s genocidal campaign to a halt. Netanyahu lacks the political resolve. Hamas lacks a raison d’être for lack of a better term, except for the struggle.”
Err blaming Hamas for failing to stop the genocide is like blaming the Bielski partisans or Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa (Warshaw Ghetto uprising) for failing to stop the Holocaust. There is no equivalence here between Israel and Hamas.
The Gaza deal is not just imperfect, it's a recipe to tighten the occupation while distracting from the ongoing famine and genocide of Palestinians.
