Paul Murphy Calls 'Peace Plan' Continued Colonisation
Paul Murphy denounced the so-called 'peace plan' as a plan for the continued colonisation of Palestine. He criticised the Irish government for officially welcoming the plan and thanking Donald Trump, and he accused the plan's authors of enabling further violence in Gaza.
Paul Murphy argued the proposal is not a peace plan but a scheme to perpetuate colonial control over Palestine. He said the document offers no real commitment to Palestinian self-determination and accused its backers of seeking to halt global resistance movements rather than secure justice for Palestinians.
Murphy traced the plan's origins to discussions between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu rather than negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives. He compared the arrangement to extremists drafting the end of a war, invoking an analogy to Hitler and Mussolini to underscore his condemnation of its legitimacy.
He highlighted provisions that would install externally appointed figures rather than allowing Palestinians to select their own representatives - naming Donald Trump, Tony Blair and a so-called Board of Peace as proposed overseers. Murphy criticised proposals for a special economic zone and described Tony Blair as a war criminal who, in the speaker's words, should not be placed in a technocratic role over Gaza.
Murphy stressed the plan contains no firm guarantee of Israeli withdrawal, saying the proposal does not commit to a clear pathway to Palestinian statehood. He cited remarks attributed to Netanyahu that, in his view, make withdrawal unlikely and characterised the plan as another colonial carve-up of Palestinian territory.
Murphy urged continued grassroots and international pressure, calling for support for the flotilla, public demonstrations on Saturday and workplace action. He cited the example of a 24-hour general strike in Italy as a model for coordinated labour action in support of Palestinian rights.
Assessment of the 'peace plan'
Paul Murphy argued the proposal is not a peace plan but a scheme to perpetuate colonial control over Palestine. He said the document offers no real commitment to Palestinian self-determination and accused its backers of seeking to halt global resistance movements rather than secure justice for Palestinians.
Origins and authorship
Murphy traced the plan's origins to discussions between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu rather than negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives. He compared the arrangement to extremists drafting the end of a war, invoking an analogy to Hitler and Mussolini to underscore his condemnation of its legitimacy.
Governance proposals and omissions
He highlighted provisions that would install externally appointed figures rather than allowing Palestinians to select their own representatives - naming Donald Trump, Tony Blair and a so-called Board of Peace as proposed overseers. Murphy criticised proposals for a special economic zone and described Tony Blair as a war criminal who, in the speaker's words, should not be placed in a technocratic role over Gaza.
Security and statehood concerns
Murphy stressed the plan contains no firm guarantee of Israeli withdrawal, saying the proposal does not commit to a clear pathway to Palestinian statehood. He cited remarks attributed to Netanyahu that, in his view, make withdrawal unlikely and characterised the plan as another colonial carve-up of Palestinian territory.
Calls for protest and solidarity
Murphy urged continued grassroots and international pressure, calling for support for the flotilla, public demonstrations on Saturday and workplace action. He cited the example of a 24-hour general strike in Italy as a model for coordinated labour action in support of Palestinian rights.
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Transcript
I want to speak about this so-called peace plan. It is not a peace plan. It is a plan for the continued colonisation of Palestine. That is what it is. I think it is shameful that the Irish government is officially welcoming this plan, even officially thanking Donald Trump for his efforts to end the conflict in Gaza. It is a plan for a continued colonial carve-up of Palestine. That is what it is. While they hope that the global resistance movement will be halted by such a plan. You look at where this plan came from. A peace process. You would expect it would be a negotiation between Israel and Palestine. But no, this plan emerged from discussions between Trump and Netanyahu. Between the man who is directing the genocide, and has been for the past two years, and the man who is funding, arming, enabling that genocide. It is crazy. It is the equivalent of Hitler and Mussolini coming up with a peace plan to end World War II. You look at the content of the plan. You can find it online. No mention of the right of the Palestinian people, of people living in Gaza, to select their own representatives, to have democracy. Oh no. Instead, the installation of Donald Trump, of Tony Blair, of an obscenely named Board of Peace as viceroys of Gaza. Tony Blair, the war criminal. The man whose hands are dripping with the blood of a million Iraqis. The man who should be rotting in a prison for his war crimes, instead installed as technocratic dictator with others of Gaza. The establishment of a special economic zone. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energise Gaza. In other words, a rebooted version of the Trumpian Gaza Riviera plan. And for what? No guarantee of the withdrawal of the Israeli forces. In fact, Netanyahu has boasted to Israeli media that no way that is not happening. Israeli forces will not be withdrawing. And just simply a sentence, the conditions, after lots and lots of things, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognise as the aspiration of the Palestinian people. It does not even commit to any road to Palestinian statehood. Another colonial carve-up of Palestine. And it is why we need not to be lulled into the sense that peace is going to come about, it is not going to be delivered by Trump and Netanyahu. We need to continue our movements, we need to support the flotilla, we need to be on the streets this Saturday, and we need to push for workplace action, as we saw in Italy with the 24-hour general strike. ... ... ... ...