 "How Trump trapped Pakistan into Gaza peace plan")
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and ‘failed marshal’ Gen Asim Munir celebrated their recent visit to Washington and meeting with US President Donald Trump as a sign of increased bonhomie between Islamabad and Washington, seemingly unaware of why they were entertained by Trump. Reality dawned with the release of the Gaza peace plan simultaneously by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump had praised Shehbaz and Munir prior to the meeting only to soften them on accepting the Gaza plan, without looking into specifics.
Trump never discussed the final plan with them in the White House but made them commit to supporting it in return for possibly investing in rare earths in the future, something the US will likely not be involved with, considering the security situation in Balochistan, despite Pakistan offering the Pasni port to it. Both leaders, thrilled at being hosted in the Oval Office, readily jumped.
Sharif believed that what the group of eight Muslim nations had presented to Trump, on the sidelines of the UNGA summit, largely drafted by Pakistan, had been accepted. Trump had smartly made the Muslim leaders commit to confidentiality of the suggested plan, leaving doors open for amendments without consulting them.
What was not foreseen by the Muslim leadership was the close bond between Trump and Netanyahu. Trump is known to be the most pro-Israel president in US history. If Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim world believed that their plan was blindly accepted, then they were living in a fool’s paradise. Netanyahu brought about changes suiting Israel, which was what was announced.
Hamas, the final signatory, was not consulted, nor was the Palestinian leadership. The plan was tweaked, and the architects were left picking up the pieces and supporting exactly what Israel wanted. Hamas was warned on the global stage to either accept the plan in a few days or face annihilation, and this time, it was backed by Trump.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe reality is now beginning to dawn. Netanyahu, standing beside Trump, readily accepted the plan, aware that it was tweaked. While the Muslim world backed it without being aware of the changes. Those nations which supported the plan in a hurry are left flustered and now picking up the pieces.
Trump bulldozed his way to Hamas accepting it by exploiting Qatar. A day after announcing the peace plan, he signed an executive order guaranteeing the security of Qatar. The order mentioned, ‘The US shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the US.’ Qatar was also bought over by an Israeli apology from the White House for the targeting of the Hamas leadership by Israel on its soil.
Pakistan, the only Muslim nuclear power, was purchased by just meeting Trump in the Oval Office. The banning of the media in the meeting was because Trump wanted Pakistan’s ‘failed marshal’ to promise to back the deal, all without knowing its final framework. He also did not want the media to raise questions on the deal, creating doubts.
The Pakistan leadership, which was till recently celebrating its visit to the White House, is now facing flak. So are others, but with most Arab states being monarchies with firm control, not much will emerge in objections.
Al Jazeera, in an article on the deal, mentioned that Trump’s plan ‘fulfills many of Israel’s stated war aims: the return of Israeli captives, the dismantling of Hamas as a military and political force, and the creation of a temporary international administration in Gaza unlikely to threaten Israel’. It simultaneously warns that Netanyahu can back down or prolong the war solely for his own political survival.
In Islamabad, just a day after the peace plan was announced and backed by Sharif, Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy PM and foreign minister, backtracked, ‘This is not our document, which we sent to them,’ adding the proposal presented to Trump prioritised ‘a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and an end to forced displacement’. He justified Sharif announcing acceptance by mentioning he was travelling and hence did not go into specifics.
The Pakistan leadership was accused of surrendering to Israel, as the plan broadly makes Gaza an Israeli colony, controlled by former British PM Tony Blair and Donald Trump. The possibility of a Palestinian state is all but over, and the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, will have no role in governing Gaza.
To make matters worse for Pakistan, Trump had publicly announced that both Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir were behind the plan ‘100 per cent’. He even announced that ‘Israel, the US and its Arab allies were all aligned on a final plan, and Hamas had to agree or face annihilation’. This was a clear sign of tying those present in the conference into the deal, which was modified by him and Netanyahu.
Dar’s rambling speech in the Pakistan senate claiming Pakistan refuses the deal did little to assuage anger. Sharif ultimately defended accepting the deal by mentioning that Hamas’s response to the plan ‘creates a window for a ceasefire and ensures peace that we must not allow to close again’.
As expected, Hamas, while accepting the release of hostages, seeks to renegotiate aspects pertaining to the ‘future of Gaza and rights of Palestinians’. Whether this will imply a delay or the end of the peace plan is unknown. This may not be acceptable, as negotiations may not suit Israel while impacting Trump’s dream of a Nobel Peace Prize. Further, those nations who endorsed the deal are no longer in the picture.
In Pakistan, accusations have already begun flying against the leadership for selling out to Israel. Social media contains memes of Sharif and Munir walking through a destroyed Gaza carrying an Israeli flag under the hashtag ‘Ummah’, largely from their own people, including their diaspora.
Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir are silent. Businessman Trump exploited them, first for recommending him for a Nobel Peace Prize by crediting him for the ceasefire in Operation Sindoor and subsequently by fooling them into backing the Gaza plan without knowing about the changes. There is little they can do but support whatever has been announced.
India too was left flustered. PM Narendra Modi backed the plan. After that, there was silence till Hamas partially agreed to the terms. Once Hamas accepted, PM Modi, praising Trump, mentioned, ‘Indications of the release of hostages mark a significant step forward. India will continue to strongly support all efforts towards a durable and just peace.’ But unlike Pakistan, India believes in the dehyphenation of the Israel-Palestine conflict and ensuring peace and peaceful coexistence. Tel Aviv maintains good relations with Delhi despite India supporting the two-state solution.
The author is a former Indian Army officer, strategic analyst and columnist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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