The world is entering a new landscape governed by a logic closer to the law of the jungle and survival of the strongest: “Do everything to keep America the greatest, and no country in the world will be protected unless they have American fleets.”

We now face an international system with two heads: the United Nations, which Trump openly undermines and marginalises, and the Peace Council for the Administration of Gaza, which Trump chairs. What is astonishing is that the president of the most powerful country in the world seeks to preside over a council for a small, besieged enclave like Gaza. Yet Trump’s ambitions extend far beyond this tiny strip of land.

The council is intended as a gateway to a new Security Council that governs the world across the green border in Gaza, protected by international forces under the American flag. In effect, it would function as an alternative occupation authority, controlling sea routes, border crossings, and all movement in and out, while claiming to broker peace between Palestinians and Israelis, then extending that model to the Middle East and eventually the world. In this vision, Trump imagines himself immortalised as the American president who achieved a peace greater than Camp David and Oslo combined. Yet history may tell a different story. Trump’s era has already produced shocks that have destabilised America internally while he struggles to consolidate influence abroad, raising the possibility that he will instead be remembered as the president who oversaw the unravelling of the American empire.

The Peace Council was not an ideal solution with many reservations. Yet there are no alternatives on the table. What is being offered represents the minimum threshold to stop the war and establish peace. On the surface, it might seem reassuring, but nothing concrete was officially announced even after the first sessions of the Council. Ambiguity dominates. What is clear is that this process is enforced by American pressure. The consequence of rejecting it would likely be Gaza’s return to war and devastation.

Trump holds decisive authority over Council resolutions and developments related to Gaza. He appears determined to “finish the task” and eliminate those who remain in Gaza.

European, Arab, and Islamic leaders joined the framework, but membership comes at a price of a billion dollars. Meanwhile, China, Russia, and major Western states such as Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Canada face pressure to align, despite concerns that this Council contradicts United Nations resolutions that grant Palestinians legal standing.

Israel is accepted into the Council, whereas Palestine is excluded despite widespread international recognition of it as a party to the conflict. Israel and the United States reject Palestinian statehood and do not regard Palestinians as partners for peace. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is sidelined, the Palestinian Authority is strangled economically and politically, and Gaza remains under siege. The objective is clear: neither a Palestinian state nor genuine Palestinian sovereignty will be allowed, and Israel will not leave the Gaza Strip.

We confront with outrage the statements from America’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, reflecting Christian Zionist ideology that imagines Israeli entitlement extending “from the Nile to the Euphrates”. This rhetoric reveals an expansionist mindset that threatens not just Palestine but also Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. It undermines international law, sovereignty, and regional stability. Netanyahu frames this as a historic mission, combining religious extremism with political power.

The Middle East now stands at its most dangerous stage. US military buildup continues under the pretext of Iran. Subjugating Iran means subjugating the region. The target is not Iran alone but the global balance of power. Iran views itself as a counterweight to American dominance, and this confrontation carries all the markers of an approaching war.

Netanyahu faces a defining moment: either fulfil his vision of Israeli supremacy or fall under the weight of history’s eighth-decade curse. Meanwhile, Epstein files circulate as leverage within elite networks spanning governments, corporations, laboratories, and financial institutions. Corruption among global leadership is laid bare. Even the archives of Norwegian mediator Terje Rod-Larsen, architect of Oslo, resurface as tools of pressure. Tel Aviv has enough blackmail material to ensure the elite fall in line.

The Oslo framework transformed the Palestinian liberation movement into an authority under occupation. Security coordination became Israel’s primary demand. Economically, Palestinians were folded into joint projects that benefit Israel. Politically, Palestinians gained nothing without Israeli approval. This arrangement enabled Israel’s rise as a regional power.

The PLO recognised Israel’s right to exist, effectively legitimising the loss of 78 per cent of historic Palestine. Negotiations were confined to the remaining 22 per cent. Core issues were postponed: refugees, right to return, right to self-determination, right to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the future of the settlements. Since the PLO pledged not to resort to force at all, the ball was in Israel’s court.

The Oslo Agreement, which Mahmoud Darwish once described as “a historic risk and an unforgivable sin”, has carried a heavy cost for Palestinians. Since the rise of successive right-wing Israeli governments, particularly under Netanyahu, the Palestinian Authority has been reduced to limited unilateral administrative functions while settlement expansion has continued. Settlement growth has expanded dramatically since 1993, fragmenting the West Bank to such an extent that the establishment of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state has become increasingly unattainable. Smotrich now openly calls for annexation of the West Bank, population transfer, and the dismantling of Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu’s government views Trump’s remaining term as a limited window to impose its biblical project over what it calls “Judea and Samaria”.
This biblical vision can only be realised through regional destabilisation. Washington continues deploying carriers, missile systems, and troops in the Middle East while offering Israel unconditional political and military backing. Yet Netanyahu increasingly appears as a strategic burden to US priorities, especially as Washington seeks to counter China and Russia but is now embroiled in the mess Israel has made in the Middle East. America’s failure in the Middle East risks accelerating its global decline.

Palestinians watch their land disappear piece by piece, forced between death, surrender, or deportation. Still, international variables offer openings, with regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey reassessing policies and alliances. Unipolar dominance is fading and multipolarity is emerging. The struggle now is whether Palestinians can survive long enough to benefit from this transformation.

The writer is the Ambassador of Palestine to Bangladesh