The Gaza Deception: Masking Genocide as Peace

Donald Trump's so-called "Gaza peace plan" is a proposal "with no connection to reality," argues scholar Norman Finkelstein. He contends that the plan bypasses Palestinians, lacks legal or moral legitimacy, and disguises Israel's ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza as diplomacy. Finkelstein warns that it cements occupation rather than peace, exposing the deep hypocrisy behind its presentation as a humanitarian effort. His remarks were made in an interview with Marc Lamont Hill on Al Jazeera's UpFront.

1. The Trump "Peace" Plan

• Former U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a so-called Gaza peace plan placing Gaza under a "Board of Peace" chaired by Trump himself.

• The plan excludes Palestinian participation, omits any path to statehood, and grants Israel unilateral authority over withdrawal and disarmament terms.

• Marc Lamont Hill interviews Dr. Norman Finkelstein, renowned scholar on the Israel-Palestine conflict, for critical analysis.

2. A Plan Without Substance or Legitimacy

• Finkelstein notes every U.S. president since Jimmy Carter has offered some "Middle East peace plan," but Trump's version is the most vacuous ever.

• Unlike previous plans referencing UN Resolutions 242/338 or international law, Trump's contains no legal or factual grounding-only twenty vague bullet points.

• The sole deadline is that Hamas must accept within 72 hours or face "decimation," showing its coercive rather than diplomatic nature.

3. Built-in Loopholes That Perpetuate Occupation

• The plan lets Israel decide unilaterally whether Hamas is "disarmed."

  • This clause ensures Israel never has to withdraw-it can always claim Hamas isn't fully disarmed.

• Humanitarian provisions are undermined by language limiting UN access to "impartial" organizations, effectively excluding UNRWA, which Israel labels "pro-Hamas."

• Thus, aid and reconstruction mechanisms are neutered from the outset.

4. The Reality of Genocide and "Reducing Gaza to Rubble"

• Finkelstein references the UN Commission of Inquiry report confirming Israel's intentional genocide in Gaza.

• Israeli officials, right after Oct 7 2023, publicly vowed to "reduce Gaza to rubble" and treat everyone as Hamas.

• Two years later, Israel has done precisely that-destroying homes, hospitals, and infrastructure and inducing famine conditions for at least a quarter of Gazans.

5. October 7 as a "Godsend" for Israel's Long-Term Goals

• While acknowledging October 7 was a genuine crisis for Israel, Finkelstein argues leaders exploited it as an opportunity to advance ethnic cleansing long planned since 1967.

• Israel's leadership used the event to legitimize all-out assault on Gaza under global sympathy and anti-terror rhetoric.

6. Israel's True Objective: Ethnic Cleansing via Genocidal Means

• Finkelstein differentiates between means (genocidal) and goal (ethnic cleansing).

• The ultimate aim is to empty Gaza of Palestinians, not coexist.

• Israel uses mass killing, famine, and destruction to drive survivors into displacement, primarily toward Egypt's Sinai.

7. Deep Societal Support for Genocide Within Israel

• Finkelstein cites Israeli polls showing:

  • 47% of Jewish Israelis support killing everyone in cities invaded by the IDF.

  • 62-70% claim there are "no innocents" in Gaza.

• Such data, along with leaders' statements and soldiers' boasts about killing children "as a hobby," reveal what he calls a "lunatic society."

8. U.S.-Israeli-Saudi Dynamics and Trump's Intervention

• After the Oct 7 events, Israel's overreach-attacking Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and even Qatar-worried the Gulf states.

• Saudi Arabia, previously ready to join the Abraham Accords, began reconsidering its alignment.

• Finkelstein believes Trump forced Netanyahu to issue an apology for striking Qatar to preserve U.S.-Gulf normalization goals, as the Saudis remain Trump's "crown jewel."

9. The Destruction of Gaza: "No Connection to Reality"

• Finkelstein calls Trump's plan absurd because there is no Gaza left to govern:

  • 92-95% of housing destroyed.

  • 70% of hospitals demolished.

  • Over 50 million tons of rubble, mixed with toxic materials-cleanup could take until 2050.

• Yet Trump's plan speaks of rebuilding Gaza and encouraging residents to "stay."

• Hence his conclusion: "This plan has no connection to reality."

10. Prospects for the Future and the Role of the World

• Finkelstein doubts Israel will "let go" or allow Gaza's reconstruction.

• He expects any temporary ceasefire (perhaps if hostages are released) will end once Israel finds a pretext to resume attacks.

• The international community's silence, he says, enables ongoing atrocities.

11. Glimmers of Hope and the Duty of Historical Truth

• Finkelstein finds a rare sign of justice in a U.S. court ruling (by a Reagan-appointed judge) defending free speech for pro-Palestine protesters and condemning Trump's repression.

• He quotes Abraham Lincoln:

  "We cannot escape history. It will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation."

• Even if justice is delayed, Finkelstein insists historians must preserve the truth of what happened in Gaza as testimony for future generations.

12. Closing Message

• Finkelstein ends soberly: there is no silver lining in genocide, but documenting it truthfully is a moral obligation.

• His final thought: truth itself is resistance when political systems fail to stop atrocities.