Congress attacks PM Modi for backing Trump’s Gaza plan

In a post on “X”,Jairam Ramesh also criticised Modi for maintaining “complete silence on the killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza.

Ramesh has alleged that Modi has welcomed Trump’s plan in order to appease his good friend President Trump and in solidarity with his other good friend Bibi Netanyahu.

Trump on Monday unveiled the 20-point plan to end Israel's war on Gaza during a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The plan calls for the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners, the complete disarmament of Hamas, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the formation of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee to govern the enclave.

Jairam Ramesh asked some fundamental  questions on the plan:

1. Where are the people of Gaza themselves in the system of governance proposed? 

2. Where is the roadmap for a full-fledged Palestinian state to come into being? 

3. How much longer will the US and Israel continue to ignore  Palestinian statehood - which has already been recognised by 157 member-countries of the UN with India having led the way in Nov 1988? 

4. Where is the accountability for the genocide that has been carried out in Gaza over the past twenty months? 

He said the PM has maintained a complete silence on the horrific atrocities that have led to the killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza. This is extreme moral cowardice and a total betrayal of all that India has stood for.

Meanwhile,observers have widely criticised the Trump plan as being designed to serve Israel’s interests as Gaza would be handed to a transitional governing body headed by Trump and administered by Tony Blair.Besides, an international stabilisation force would control security. Even the Palestinian Authority would have no meaningful say, while Israel retains a “security perimeter” and continues to control key aspects of governance.

They have alleged that the plan is designed for Israel to meet objectives it failed to achieve militarily even after two years of disastrous war in Gaza.

In effect, Gaza would be brought under a new colonial-style administration. Even the Palestinian Authority would have no meaningful role. The Board would control funds, the ISF would manage security, and Israel would retain veto power over all decisions.

Israeli troops would remain.Netanyahu has reiterated ecently to the United Nations General Assembly that the IDF will not withdraw and that there will be no Palestinian state.

If implemented, as per the Trump plan —Gaza will be  placed under a colonial administration, Israeli troops continuing to occupy parts of Gaza, and no Palestinian state established. Moreover, it would help Israel, isolated globally over genocide allegations, reintegrate into the regional milieu.

The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave all but uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.