Losing the Peace and the Land
Peloni
VP J.D Vance meets with PM Netanyahu after visiting the CMCC control center. Screengrab via Youtube
In the article titled, “Israel Downgraded by US to ‘Support Staff’ in Gaza Command Center”, Vared Weiss describes the significant shift taking place in the management of humanitarian aid and ceasefire coordination inside Gaza, in which the United States is more and more assuming a dominant role and offsetting Israeli control. Israeli officials have noted that the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), primarily overseeing ceasefire efforts, is now directed by American personnel. Israel’s role has shifted to a supportive capacity only, with the Israeli COGAT transforming from a policy-making organization to one which conducts merely operational functions.
This change comes about simultaneously as broader international involvement takes over in Gaza, with the CMCC hosting representatives from various countries, including Britain, France, and the UAE. The CMCC serves as a center for the “International Stabilization Force (ISF)”, which the Trump plan foresees managing Gaza in the wake of IDF withdrawals.
The framework for this arrangement was outlined in Trump’s 20 Point Plan. As concerns grow within Israel coincident with Hamas’s regrouping in its area of control in Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu has voiced serious opposition (thankfully) to Turkish involvement in the ISF. Meanwhile, the US continues to pursue coordination of troop contributions from various nations.
In reading Weiss’ article, it calls to mind the establishment of the Mandate system which was constructed following the defeat of the Axis powers, as their colonial possessions were determined by the victorious powers. Importantly though, Israel was not defeated, and the land being entered into the new mandate system was never a colonial holding of Israel, but was certifiably Jewish land going back more than three and a half millennia while it has been Israeli land since 1967. The stench of defeat permeates every aspect of the move to eliminate Israeli control over the land of Gaza, and the recollection of handing it over to the iniquitous control of nations which deny Israel’s existence is likewise reminiscent of the handing a similar role over the intended Jewish Homeland to Perfidious Albans a little more than a century ago. As the Israeli public are focused around the retrieval of the bodies of its murdered captives in a drip by drip fashion, the price of ceding land from the presumed victor to its enemies defies the notion that Israel did not in fact lose the war it entered into over two years ago.
Recalling VP Vance’s comments at the CMCC last month, it is interesting that he noted that
“in Israel—we don’t want a vassal state, and that’s not what Israel is. We don’t want a client state, and that’s not what Israel is. We want a partnership. We want an ally here.”
Well, it looks like the US just served Israel an eviction notice from control over Gaza, no matter if the US cares to describe the Jewish State as its client state, its partner, or its ally.
There have been lots of rumors that Trump has been playing 5 dimensional chess in the middle east, but with whom? My guess is that he did have a plan a while back but the Arabs beat him at his own game while playing 2 dimensional chess.
If he does have some serious workable plan up one of his sleeves, now would be a good time to make a useful move before somebody else makes a move first.
There are probably too many moving parts in this scenario, so it’s time to throw some heavy duty sand in the gears. Giving up the Gaza strip to anyone after all the blood, sweat and tears that have already been invested means that the last 25 months were for naught. Nobody can make that good again, especially by giving away the hard-won success to the defeated. When did Israel EVER get anything in return for restoring its won regions to the losers?
Thanks, Peloni. for this badly needed expose. Israel has ceded control over Gaza to hostile foreign powers. Britain and Franceare hostle foreign powers. The UAE is at best a fickle, unreliable friend. And Trump’s people even want to bring Turkey into the Gaza governing force, despite its overtly hostile attitude to Israel. The first Trump administration was supportive of Israel. The second Trump administration is not helpful to Israel. I don’t know why or how Trump’s views and attitudes have changed. Obviously, the influence of Witkoff onhim is one reason.
I am totally disgusted with this administration. Israel was on the verge of eliminating Hamas, and Trump stopped the IDF victory. Did his association with his daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law, Boulos, have anything to do with his chumming up with the Islamists? Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Hamas, the PA. and more are involved in GAZA. This isn’t equitable at all. In fact, it is a slap in the face of all the IDF war efforts including the loss of 913 soldiers. This war would have been won by Israel if America had actually helped her ally instead of impeding their efforts.
Bondsteel. The US is there to impose a Palestinian state on Israel just like it imposed independence for an Albanian Kosovo in Serbia in Bondsteel. Of course NATO could bomb Serbia into submission first, Israel is managed differently. Turkey is a NATO member. It must have been tempting …
@ppksky
All too true.
Very good article, though not what we want to hear – I think this is exactly what is happening, whether it’s what Trump intended or not. Looks like the IDF will have more work to do sooner than we hoped.
Thank you Liz.
Who is the author who has the integrity to write of this tragic situation including the following “:The stench of defeat permeates every aspect of the move to eliminate Israeli control over the land of Gaza, and the recollection of handing it over to the iniquitous control of nations which deny Israel’s existence is likewise reminiscent of the handing a similar role over the intended Jewish Homeland to Perfidious Albans a little more than a century ago. As the Israeli public are focused around the retrieval of the bodies of its murdered captives in a drip by drip fashion, the price of ceding land from the presumed victor to its enemies defies the notion that Israel did not in fact lose the war it entered into over two years ago.”
@Renanah Goldhar-Gemeiner
Thank you for your generous complement. I am the author, though it gave me no limit of horror to have to contend with these truths as I found them.
Excellent Mr. Peloni and very much appreciated.