Islamic Jihad: Trump Plan Favors ’Israel’s’ Agenda

By Staff, Agencies

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza said US President Donald Trump’s 20-point initiative, presented as an effort to end "Israel’s" war on Gaza, is in fact designed to safeguard "Tel Aviv’s" strategic dominance and U.S. interests in the region.

Spokesman Mohammed al-Hajj Musa made the remarks to the Palestine Today newspaper on Wednesday concerning the proposal that was forwarded in late September.

“Trump's proposal is vague and achieves strategic objectives for the occupation,” he said.

In early October, Hamas and “Israel” reached an Egypt-mediated deal launching the plan’s first phase. Hamas agreed to release all “Israeli” captives and transfer Gaza’s control to a Palestinian technocratic body. It has freed all surviving captives and returned the bodies, except those still buried under rubble from “Israeli” strikes.

Musa also noted that the Resistance has also “shown great flexibility regarding the administration of the Gaza Strip.”

“We welcome the administration of the Gaza Strip by a technocratic government through an independent Palestinian national decision.”

Palestinian officials have, however, warned that the proposal ignores the core issues of "Israeli" occupation, accountability for war crimes, and Palestinians’ right to self-determination and compensation.

Earlier this month, Washington circulated a draft United Nations Security Council resolution proposing creation of a so-called “International Stabilization Force [ISF]” in Gaza for at least two years.

The officials have expressed concern that such steps represented an effort to replace one occupation with another, merely swapping "Israeli" boots for foreign ones.

Musa asserted, “The acceptable force in the Gaza Strip must have its mandate from the Security Council and have a specific duration and authority.”

“The Resistance insists on its position of rejecting any force outside this framework.”

The Islamic Jihad official reiterated his misgivings about the American proposal, saying Washington seeks to “to strangle Gaza politically and humanitarianly.”

He also expressed alarm that the "Israeli" occupation forces had refused to commit to agreed withdrawal processes or the humanitarian protocol and continued its violations of the ceasefire deal.

Since the deal’s implementation, hundreds of Palestinians have been martyred in "Israeli" strikes, which experts warn follow genocidal patterns, adding to the more than 69,000 Gazans martyred since October 2023.