# **Detailed SUMMARY of the Article "Annexing Palestine," by Robert Grenier, Dawn, February 12th, 2025**: The article critically examines Donald Trump's recent remarks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly his suggestion to annex Gaza and forcibly relocate its inhabitants. The author argues that while Trump's proposal is absurd and unfeasible, it has inadvertently exposed the long-standing failure of the two-state solution, which had already become impossible due to Israel's systematic expansion and repression. The ongoing Israeli offensive, following the October 7 attacks, is part of a historical pattern of violence, where Israeli suppression is met with Palestinian resistance, leading to disproportionate Israeli retaliation. The article highlights that Trump's policies, including his previous "deal of the century," openly favor Israel’s annexation ambitions, pushing Netanyahu toward formal annexation of the West Bank. If this happens, it would force Western nations to either openly support or actively oppose Israel’s blatant violation of international law, removing any middle ground. The author suggests that only immense external pressure—such as a South Africa-style boycott and cutting off U.S. military aid—could deter Israel from its expansionist policies. However, despite Israel’s increasing pariah status and changing global attitudes, achieving peace remains uncertain. The article concludes that while history is unlikely to change overnight, Trump’s rhetoric has at least illuminated the harsh realities of the Israeli occupation. # **Easy/Short SUMMARY**: The article discusses Donald Trump’s proposal to annex Gaza and displace its people, which the author calls unrealistic but revealing. It highlights that the two-state solution was already dead due to Israel’s ongoing expansion and repression. Trump’s stance encourages Netanyahu to annex the West Bank, which would force Western countries to either support or oppose Israel openly. The article suggests that only strong international pressure, like sanctions and boycotts, could change Israel’s actions. However, while global attitudes toward Israel are shifting, real peace remains unlikely. The author concludes that Trump’s remarks, despite their absurdity, have helped expose the true situation. # **SOLUTIONS of The Problem**: ## **1. Strong International Pressure on Israel** Implementing a global boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign similar to what was used against apartheid South Africa could exert significant economic and political pressure on Israel. ## **2. U.S. Policy Shift on Military and Diplomatic Support** The U.S. should reconsider its unconditional military aid and diplomatic backing for Israel, using leverage to demand an end to illegal settlements and annexations. ## **3. Enforcement of International Law** The International Criminal Court (ICC) and United Nations (UN) must take strict measures against Israeli violations, ensuring accountability for war crimes and human rights abuses. ## **4. Reinvigorating Peace Talks with New Frameworks** Traditional U.S.-led peace processes have failed; an alternative multilateral approach involving neutral mediators could bring fresh perspectives to resolving the conflict. ## **5. Protection of Palestinian Civilians** Humanitarian organizations and international bodies must actively intervene to prevent war crimes, protect civilians, and ensure access to basic resources. ## **6. Pressuring Arab and Muslim Countries to Act** Regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran must take stronger diplomatic and economic actions to support Palestinian sovereignty. ## **7. Public Awareness and Media Advocacy** Encouraging global media coverage on Israeli violations can shift public opinion and push governments to take a stronger stance against occupation policies. ## **8. Strengthening Palestinian Political Unity** Internal divisions between Palestinian factions weaken their position. Unifying under a clear, peaceful resistance strategy could strengthen their international support. ## **9. Economic Development for Palestinian Territories** Supporting Palestinian infrastructure, education, and self-sufficiency could help reduce dependency on Israeli-controlled resources and promote long-term stability. ## **10. Mobilizing Grassroots Movements** Encouraging student protests, labor strikes, and advocacy groups worldwide can build pressure on governments and corporations to stop enabling Israeli occupation. # **IMPORTANT Facts and Figures Given in the Article**: - Trump proposed annexing Gaza and forcing out Palestinians, but admitted the U.S. would not enforce it. - Netanyahu's government has long pursued the de facto annexation of the West Bank through settlements. - Israel's ongoing military actions in Gaza and the West Bank include air strikes, land seizures, and forced displacement. - Many Western nations, including in Europe, have pledged to enforce ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. - There is a generational shift in the U.S., with growing opposition to Israeli policies among younger Americans. - Calls for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel are growing worldwide. # **MCQs from the Article**: ### 1. *What did Donald Trump propose regarding Gaza?* A. Full Palestinian independence B. A new two-state solution C. A peacekeeping mission **D. Annexation and forced displacement** ### 2. *What does the article argue about the two-state solution?* A. It is still a viable option B. It was never supported by the U.S. **C. It has been dead for years due to Israeli expansion** D. It was strengthened by Trump's policies ### 3. *What impact would formal Israeli annexation of the West Bank have?* A. It would help the peace process B. It would give Palestinians more rights **C. It would force Western countries to either support or oppose Israel openly** D. It would be welcomed by the ICC ### 4. *What major international action does the author suggest could pressure Israel?* A. Diplomatic mediation B. Military intervention **C. A South Africa-style boycott and sanctions campaign** D. Encouraging more Israeli settlements ### 5. *Why does the article mention shifting public opinion in the U.S.?* A. To show increasing American support for Israel B. To argue that younger generations are indifferent to the issue **C. To highlight growing opposition to Israeli policies among younger Americans** D. To suggest that public opinion has no impact on foreign policy # **VOCABULARY**: 1. **Annexation** (noun) (الحاق): The act of seizing territory and making it part of another state. 2. **Repression** (noun) (دباؤ): The act of using force to control or suppress people. 3. **Irredentist** (adjective) (توسیع پسندانہ): Advocating the reclaiming of land that is perceived as lost. 4. **Acquiesce** (verb) (رضامندی ظاہر کرنا): To accept or agree to something without protest. 5. **Apartheid** (noun) (نسلی علیحدگی): A system of racial or ethnic segregation and discrimination. 6. **Cant** (noun) (ریاکاری): Insincere or hypocritical talk. 7. **Depredation** (noun) (تباہی): The act of attacking or plundering. 8. **Bantustan** (noun) (بنٹوستان): A segregated territory for non-white populations under apartheid. 9. **Impunity** (noun) (استثنیٰ): Exemption from punishment or consequences. 10. **Pariah** (noun) (اچھوت): A person or nation that is socially or politically isolated. 11. **Divestment** (noun) (فروخت یا علیحدگی): The act of selling off assets, often for ethical reasons. 12. **Militarily Unassailable** (phrase) (فوجی لحاظ سے ناقابل تسخیر): Impossible to defeat using military force. 13. **Coercive Power** (noun) (دباؤ کی طاقت): The ability to force compliance through threats or violence. 14. **Ethnic Cleansing** (noun) (نسلی صفائی): The forced removal of an ethnic or religious group. 15. **Cynical** (adjective) (شکی): Distrusting or dismissing sincerity or integrity. 📢 **Attention Please!** We appreciate your dedication to staying informed through our summaries. Please do not remove the attribution label from this article. It is crucial to acknowledge the source and effort behind this summary. Unauthorized distribution without proper credit is discouraged. Thank you for your cooperation. 🔍 ⚡ **Explore More Summaries, Solutions, and Vocabulary Meanings!** 💡 Join our WhatsApp Channel for timely and comprehensive summaries of the latest articles, along with well-crafted solutions and helpful vocabulary meanings. Click the link below to join now: 🔗 [Dawn Article Summaries](https://cssmcqs.com/dawn-editorials-articles-summary-for-students-pdf-download/) *WhatsApp Channel Link* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7tT3o35fLnJeFbpS2y www.dawn.com Annexing Palestine Robert Grenier 6 - 8 minutes GIVE Donald Trump credit. In a stunning eruption last week, he proposed to annex Gaza and expel whatever inhabitants refuse to leave, generating a nifty waterfront investment opportunity in the bargain. It may seem counterintuitive, but he has done Palestinians a great favour. He has not ‘killed’ the two-state solution. That had long since died. Instead, he has added useful clarity to a pernicious situation. The horrific Israeli onslaught of the past 15 months, following the terrorist outrage of Oct 7, is but the latest iteration of a recurrent pattern of Israeli repression, futile Palestinian resistance, and grossly disproportionate Israeli reprisal. Whether or not Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu returns to the killing fields as promised, there will be no permanent end of hostilities so long as the underlying dynamic holds. As Trump has pointed out, when you do the same thing over and over, “you end up in the same place”. But that’s as far as credit can go. Needless to say, Trump’s proposal is absurd on its face. Most Gazans surely would refuse to leave. Trump concedes that US troops will not force them. Neither Egypt nor Jordan, alone or in concert, will accept two million Palestinians, for multiple obvious reasons. And the Saudi leadership has made clear that they will not stand exposed before the entire Islamic world to finance ethnic cleansing on Israel’s behalf. In short, this half-baked idea is going nowhere. Simultaneously, Trump was asked whether his proposed American seizure of Gaza would be combined with US support for Israel’s annexation of the West Bank. He promised an answer in a month. Predicting Trump is a fool’s errand, but he has telegraphed his response. His key Mideast advisers are loud proponents of Israeli annexation. Trump’s prospective support may be the push which emboldens Netanyahu to do what he transparently desires, but to date has not dared. Annexation would reveal the pious incantations of Western politicians for what they are — impotent drivel at best, and cynical cant at worst. We should hope that he does. Israeli settlements in the West Bank have long since reached an extent that even a marginally viable, contiguous Palestinian state is inconceivable. That is the product of many decades of purposeful Israeli policy. De jure annexation would change nothing on the ground. Formal seizure of Palestinian lands would merely be a welcome acknowledgment by Israel of the true state of affairs: that it has created, and intends to sustain, an apartheid state. But annexation would give the US and others nowhere to hide. So long as the status of the West Bank was nominally undetermined, the US could maintain the cruel fiction that it supports a two-state solution. In fact, the US has been fully complicit in Israel’s successful effort to preclude any such thing. The fact that American policy is a product of inertia and political cowardice, rather than malice aforethought, is hardly a compelling defence. Annexation would reveal the pious incantations of Western politicians for what they are — impotent drivel at best, and cynical cant at worst. It would force them to choose: Either openly acquiesce in Israel’s blatant violation of international law, or actively oppose it. There will no longer be a middle way. Trump has chosen acquiescence. For all his moral obtuseness, he is by comparison with his predecessor refreshingly straightforward in what he means to do. Rather than wring his hands, he proposes to cut the Gordian knot by doing for the Israelis what they could not do for themselves: clear out the Gazans and swindle them with the specious chimera of “beautiful homes” in other countries, paid for by others. This is actually a continuation of Trump’s first-term policy. His “deal of the century” for the West Bank in 2020 was of a piece with last week’s bombshell. It proposed to give the Israelis virtually everything they wanted in the West Bank, while inducing the Palestinians to trade dignity and sovereignty for promises of economic investment in the Bantustans to which they would be relegated. It didn’t work then, and it won’t work now. So, if not Mar-a-Gaza, then what? There are many just peace proposals extant, involving both two states and one. All would be excruciatingly painful to adopt. With Israel militarily unassailable by its neighbours, none could be implemented without enormous pressure from outside the region. It is therefore a useful thought experiment to imagine what sort of alternative pressure would be required to divert Israel from its irredentist course. A crushing, South Africa-style international campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions, supplemented by a complete cutoff of US military and diplomatic support would be required, and then might not be enough. That is unlikely to say the least. But the long-term trends may not be so positive for Israel. As violence in Gaza recedes in intensity, it brings greater focus on Israel’s continuing depredations in the West Bank: the air strikes, the land seizures, the financial strangulation, the willful destruction of civilian infrastructure, the facilitation of increasingly violent Israeli settlers. The stated logic is to force Palestinians to vote with their feet. But that will be excruciatingly slow. And it cannot be hidden. Chinese policy towards the Tibetans and the Uighurs might be a useful model of state impunity for Israel, but tiny Israel is far more dependent on outside support, and has nothing like the coercive power of China. It is possible that the world will ultimately shrug and acquiesce. But that is by no means assured. Israel is fast becoming an international pariah. Many countries, including in Western Europe, have pledged to enforce ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, iss­ued in response to a rolling, 17-month war crime. Even in the US, the negative generational shift in attitudes towards Israel is striking, and the growing willingness of politicians to publicly oppose Israeli policy would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. The furious right-wing demands to suppress pro-Palestinian demonstrators on American campuses and to sanction the ICC are useful indicators of fear. No, peace in greater Palestine is not at hand. History will continue its dismal course, for now. But in the meantime, Mr Trump’s heat and bluster have also cast a useful ray of light. The writer is a former US official and author of 88 Days to Kandahar. Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2025