The us plan for Gaza, rubberstamped by the un general assembly on 17 November, is a blueprint for imperialist colonisation. Recognising the failure of over two years of western-backed Zionist genocide to crush the Palestinian resistance, the plan has clear aims: isolate and pacify the Gaza-led resistance, bolster an ailing Zionist state and ensure imperialist dominance. This means partitioning Gaza between a militarised ‘development’ zone and an ethnically cleansed wasteland inhabited by over 2.2 million displaced Palestinians. Fully supported by European imperialists, including the British labour government, and reactionary regional Arab forces, and with the shameful refusal of Russia or China to use their veto, the resolution has served to embolden the Zionist terror machine. Louis Brehony reports.
A new imperialist mandate for Palestine
Resolution 2803 was brought to the un by the us trump administration after much lobbying and imperialist diplomacy. Among its key points:
• a ‘board of peace’ headed by trump and former labour prime minister tony Blair would act as governors, overseeing Gaza’s partition. Any Palestinian involvement would consist of ‘apolitical’ technocrats handpicked by the imperialists – a trump adviser admitted they had approached ‘highly successful Palestinians in the diaspora’.
• Gaza would be occupied by a military international stabilisation force (ISF), collaborating with Israeli and Egyptian forces towards the ‘stability’ and ‘demilitarisation’ of the strip. Prior to the un vote, the us imperialist military regional command CENTCOM drew up plans for us, EU and British forces to occupy Gaza. Discussions since, however, have suggested outsourcing occupation to soldiers from Indonesia, Pakistan and turkey, all clients of us imperialism.
• any Israeli withdrawal would be ‘linked to demilitarisation’ while Zionist forces would retain ‘a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.’
• the reconstruction of Gaza would be promoted through the world bank and a ‘dedicated trust fund,’ though this would only apply to ISF-occupied areas. Aping the imperialist invasion of Iraq, a ‘green zone’ would be occupied militarily by Israeli and ‘international’ forces and ‘developed’ by outside investors. A ‘red zone’, into which nearly all of Gaza’s residents have been displaced, would not be reconstructed, with millions left in to live in the rubble of genocidal destruction.
• to win the support of Muslim states, the resolution held out the vague promise of control of Gaza eventually being ceded to a ‘reformed’ Palestinian authority (pa), under which ‘the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood’.
In a joint statement, the us, Qatar, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and turkey called on 14 November for the resolution to be ‘swiftly’ adopted. Us ambassador to the un mike waltz warned in the Washington Post that ‘any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict.’ the Palestinian authority, long discredited amongst the people of Palestine for its role as a tool of the occupation, also backed the plan.
Resistance responds
On the eve of the ‘ceasefire’ on 9 October, the Palestinian resistance factions jointly submitted their own proposal of 40 Palestinians to form a transitional authority in Gaza, rejecting imperialist moves to impose a non-Palestinian governorship on the strip. Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim explained:
‘when it comes to tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him. We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.’
Blair flew into Jordan and on 12 October met pa deputy president Hussein al-sheikh, who confirmed pa ‘readiness to work with president trump, Mr Blair and the partners’. The organisation understands its own fortunes are wedded to imperialism.
The un resolution was rejected by those leading the liberation struggle, with Hamas responding that ‘resistance is a legitimate right…any international force assigned disarmament duties will be considered a party working for the occupation.’ the popular front for the liberation of Palestine (PFLP) made clear that ‘our people, who have made continuous sacrifices, will not accept any formula that diminishes their sovereignty’. The Palestinians will ‘continue their struggle until the complete liberation of their land.’ those who resisted the genocide for over two years have no intention of meekly allowing the region to be ruled by imperialists and Zionists.
In a joint statement, resistance groups exposed the resolution as ‘a dangerous attempt to impose international trusteeship on Gaza’, while ‘foreign military presence or international bases in Gaza constitute a violation of Palestinian sovereignty.’ the factions countered plans for a militarised occupation by suggesting an ‘international force’ that would protect civilians and ensure aid flows. The reconstruction of Gaza, they concluded, must occur ‘through competent Palestinian institutions.’ as Ramzy Baroud wrote:
‘this resolution is a recipe for disaster: expect mass protests in Gaza, which will inevitably be suppressed by us-led lackeys, working hand-in-glove with Israel, all in the cynical name of enforcing “inter-national law” … 2803 has hurled us decades back, resurrecting the dark days of the British mandate over Palestine.
‘those who believe they are writing the final, conclusive chapter of Palestine will be shocked and surprised, for they have merely infuriated history. The story is far from over. The lasting shame is that Arab states are now fully and openly involved in the suppression of the Palestinians.’
Arms of the resistance
The question of disarmament was included in the resolution, as ‘the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups’, clearly targeting all resistance factions. A Hamas official told AFP on 11 October that ‘the proposed weapons handover is out of the question and not negotiable.’ Basem Naim said: ‘our weapons will only be handed over to a Palestinian state, integrated into a national army. Before that nobody has the right to deny our right to resist the occupation by all means.’
Trump claimed on 14 October that ‘if [Palestinians] don’t disarm, we will disarm them and it will happen quickly and perhaps violently.’ deputy secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Muhammad al-Hindi responded: ‘the resistance factions have not agreed to disarm, and we do not accept the threat of disarmament by force.’ a trump adviser admitted on 15 October that ‘it is unrealistic to think that everyone will come and put down their weapons and say: here they are.’
What ceasefire?
Israel has constantly violated the first phase of the Gaza ‘ceasefire’. Within a month of it coming into effect, Zionist forces had killed over 250 Palestinians in Gaza and injured more than 600. The period witnessed at least 282 ceasefire violations by Israel, including 88 direct shootings, 12 incursions, 124 bombings, and the demolition of 52 civilian buildings. The Zionists continue to redraw and manipulate previously-agreed boundaries, particularly in northern Gaza where they seek to expand the ‘yellow line’ demarcating their presence.
One gain for the resistance was the dismantling of the us-led, Israeli-backed food distribution sites operated by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Over 2,500 Palestinians were killed by us mercenaries and the Zionist occupying forces while seeking aid. The trump ceasefire plan promised un and red cross-administered aid delivered to Gaza ‘without interference’. However Natalie Boucly, an UNRWA deputy commissioner general, revealed that by mid-November, fewer than half the 600 trucks of required aid were being allowed in, with stockpiles sitting in Jordan. Despite winter bringing floods and freezing weather, the occupation has denied the entry of 300,000 tents, insulation and basic supplies. Gaza is rife with hunger and preventable diseases.
Speaking in Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said that ‘the Zionist entity insists on using the humanitarian tool as a means of political blackmail and extracting concessions.’ the un resolution has only solidified the occupation’s siege and starvation.
British collusion against Palestinian democracy
British imperialists have blood on their hands. In the month following the 10 October ‘ceasefire’, labour prime minister Keir Starmer made just one parliamentary comment on Gaza, and only when pushed by the snp. ‘deeply concerned’ about strikes killing 104 Palestinians on 28 October, Starmer could only conclude that ‘trump’s peace plan… is the only route to long-term peace.’ it was recently revealed that Britain’s ministry of defence made 49 official visits to the Zionist state between October 2023 and June 2025, with un special rapporteur Francesca Albanese concluding on 20 October that:
‘The United Kingdom has also played a key role in military collaboration with Israel, despite internal opposition. From its bases in Cyprus, the UK has enabled a crucial us supply line to Tel Aviv and flown over 600 surveillance missions over Gaza throughout the genocide, sharing intelligence with Israel. Flight numbers and durations, often coinciding with major Israeli operations, suggest detailed knowledge and cooperation in the destruction of Gaza, extending beyond “hostage rescue”.’
Britain enthusiastically supported the resolution for disarming and partitioning Gaza and sees the role of a puppet pa as key. On 20 November labour minister baroness chapman met pa president Muhammed Mustafa in Brussels, informing him of Britain’s commitment to ‘make sure that [the pa] is properly equipped and has the capability to do that’. At the meeting, EU officials pledged to train 3,000 Palestinian police officers for Gaza, modelled on its training of collaborationist cops in the west bank.
Foreign secretary Yvette cooper told parliament that ‘we do not expect the UK to contribute troops’ to an ISF. Instead, Britain favours the disarmament of the Palestinian liberation forces through a proxy force of compliant regimes supplementing Zionist state forces. In the house of lords, chapman said that Hamas, as a ‘terrorist organisation… should have no role in the future leadership in Palestine in any guise at all.’
According to survey data published by the PCPSR on 28 October, 62% of Palestinians backed the Hamas response to the trump plan, while 69% oppose disarmament even ‘if this is a condition for the war not to return to the Gaza strip’. Majorities in Gaza and the west bank support the resistance operations of 7 October 2023 and Hamas remains twice as popular as abbas’ Fatah party, which runs the PA.
Building the resistance
In the occupied west bank and Jerusalem, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Zionist forces since October 2023. This October saw 260 violent attacks by fascist settlers, the highest number since records began in 2006. With Jenin and other population centres reduced to rubble by Zionist airstrikes, Palestinian resistance has reemerged in the west bank, with 22 operations carried out on 12 November alone, including demonstrations, explosives, stone throwing and Molotov cocktails. PCPSR data shows Hamas and the armed struggle enjoy even wider popularity in the west bank than in Gaza.
On 22 November, Israeli bombs struck the Beirut suburb of Dahiyya, murdering senior Hizbollah leader Haitham Ali Tabtaba’i and four others. Palestinian resistance groups joined their Lebanese counterparts in condemning imperialist collusion in these ongoing attacks on Lebanon. After Zionist forces bombed ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon on 18 November, the leader of Masar Badil (the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement), Mohammed al-Hhatib, called on Palestine’s supporters to ‘express their anger, take to the streets, besiege the embassies of the enemy and its allies, escalate forms of popular pressure and direct action.’ forces of resistance are regrouping across the region, from the colonised west bank to Lebanon and Yemen, from the pro-Palestine youth of Morocco to emerging struggles against the Sharaa’ regime in Syria.
In the imperialist heartlands, Britain, the EU and the us, the flag of Palestine is a symbol of new generations unbound to opportunist social democracy. The situation is urgent and their energy must be harnessed: resistance must be rebuilt and internationalised. In Britain, our task is to build a movement of principled solidarity with the Palestinian resistance against attempts to carve up Gaza and for total liberation. A first step must be to force the labour government to impose sanctions on the Zionist entity.
Victory to the Palestinian people! Sanction Israel now!
