By Marwan Emil Toubassi, former Ambassador of Palestine to Greece
Jul 11, 2025
At a time when political meetings intensify between Netanyahu and Trump in Washington — meetings marked by the nomination of a war criminal for the Nobel Peace Prize as the sponsor of the new global fascist right — positions are being put forth that clearly oppose the political and historical rights of the Palestinian people and insist on stripping them of their legitimate right to self-determination.
These developments come alongside the imposition of so-called “ceasefire initiatives” mediated by Qatar, which align with broader efforts to subjugate the region rather than end the war. Meanwhile, Israel insists on sending its messages through fire and blood, as seen in today’s new massacre targeting children in Deir al-Balah in Gaza, and the simultaneous raid on Qalandiya refugee camp in the West Bank, involving mass arrests and brutal assaults.
These are not isolated military operations, but rather a continuation of a systematic project of demographic cleansing, aimed at eradicating Palestinian hope at its roots and eliminating the national liberation cause of our people.
These repeated massacres are not occurring despite ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire, but rather as a direct challenge to them — as if Israel is seeking to impose bloody facts on the ground before any expected and fragmented ceasefire. A ceasefire that may end up separating Gaza from the West Bank, and allow Israel to maintain control over most parts of Gaza, thus obstructing the realization of a sovereign, independent Palestinian state.
Instead, Israel promotes a model of isolated geographic zones with limited administrative functions, devoid of statehood and the essential requirement of ending the occupation. Israel seeks dominance on the ground, imposing an agreement beneath the rubble of destroyed homes and the remains of children — an agreement of surrender, not one reached on equal terms, and certainly not one that meets the urgent humanitarian need to stop Israel’s killing machine.
By meeting with Trump, Netanyahu sends a dual message: “We do not yield to international pressure, and we do not care about condemnations or ceasefire mediations.” As for Trump, who claims he wants to end the war, he does nothing to halt the killings. On the contrary, he appears to be a silent partner in paving the way for a resolution that aligns with the “Greater Israel” project and the “New Middle East,” not with the rights of the Palestinian people.
The blatant “double standards” — and indeed complicity — of the United States are laid bare as Washington continues to threaten sanctions against the International Criminal Court and against UN officials such as Francesca Albanese, rather than supporting their efforts to document crimes and hold perpetrators accountable. Through such actions, the U.S. makes clear it is not a mediator, but a direct accomplice and partner in the crime.
Here, as has long been the case in U.S. history regarding crimes against peoples worldwide, the extent of terrorism — now with direct American support — is exposed. This is not only about double standards, but about America’s vengeful response to its ongoing losses to China and Russia, and its quest to weaken and dismantle international institutions, thereby creating a vacuum and chaos in the crumbling global order. In that vacuum, the Holocaust against the Palestinian people continues without accountability or consequence.
All of this unfolds in the absence of any serious international stance, and under the silence of official Arab regimes — silence that falls far short of the scale of the catastrophe, despite the fact that today’s massacres are targeting children waiting in line with their mothers for nutritional supplements in besieged and devastated Gaza.
In reality, we are witnessing not merely a localized massacre, but a strategic one. What is happening is a methodical dismantling of Palestinian geography and demography, in accordance with the vision of the global Zionist movement: Gaza is under fire, destruction, and genocide meant to prepare for mass displacement under the guise of “freedom of choice”; the West Bank is under invasion and refugee camp expulsions; and Jerusalem is undergoing Judaization. Whoever negotiates in the midst of this bloodshed finds themselves surrounded by new maps drawn in blood.
The Palestinian response must not be silence, nor a reliance on powerless mediators or elusive roles. What is urgently needed is a clear political confrontation and a renewed Palestinian discourse — before it is too late — especially in light of policies aimed at dismantling the role of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, and attempts to replace them with a “renewed” non-national authority.
We need a vision, a discourse, a program, and practical tools — all dedicated to exposing and confronting the Zionist project as a colonial, exclusionary, and settler project. We need a vision that restores the legitimacy of political, legal, and popular resistance; that strengthens the resilience of our people instead of increasing their burdens; and that revitalizes the Arab and international role, away from inaction and fear of American arrogance and false promises — promises designed only to solidify Israeli regional dominance.
This dominance, however, is facing internal crises, deepening rifts between Israel’s military and political leadership, growing international isolation, and unprecedented global popular solidarity. Israel is also incurring mounting human, economic, and military losses as a result of the resistance in Gaza and the West Bank — and even beyond its borders.
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