Alok Acharja

Palestinians have started returning to their homeland after a long time. Some are returning on foot, some by car or in some other way. The joy of returning home is in their eyes, faces and bodies. But the question of how long this joy will last is also revolving. Perhaps mistrust is also embedded in their minds. Although they have no home, no furniture, no work, they only have land. That land is their hope. The war has stopped, the war has not stopped.

Israel-Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire. How long will this ceasefire last? This ceasefire needs to be transformed into a permanent ceasefire or cessation. A permanent solution to the Palestinian issue is needed. But how will that be? Donald Trump is sitting in the US presidency. His promise was to stop the war. For now, one war has stopped. The Ukraine-Russia war is going on. He has already found a way for a permanent solution for Palestine. However, there is doubt and criticism. Meanwhile, the world wants to end this problem through the formation of two separate states. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel.

About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in the Hamas attack. In retaliation, Israel carried out a massive bombing in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli military operation and most of Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed in airstrikes. Gaza health officials said they had received a death toll of 46,788. According to the Health Ministry, 59 percent of the dead identified as of October 7, 2024, a year into the conflict, were women, children, and the elderly. Despite the growing global support for Palestine, Israel has not yet been effectively subdued. People are being killed there every hour.

What can be the solution to this problem? Gaza must first be rebuilt, according to the Health Ministry. On the one hand, it is a matter of great expense and on the other hand, it requires time. During this time, there is also the question of where the people of Gaza will live, what they will eat and how they will live. Moreover, without a sustainable solution, peace will never come to this region. The Middle East will remain turbulent and this issue will come to the fore as a global issue. First, let's come to the Trump Theory, that is, the plan that Trump has talked about for Gaza. US President Donald Trump has said in the form of a proposal that the relocation of 2.3 million Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt should be considered.

This plan has caused concern not only for local residents but also for neighboring countries due to the 15-month-long war in Gaza. The British news agency Reuters reported this news. Trump's proposal has rekindled memories of the 1948 among Palestinians. At that time, 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their land when the state of Israel was established. Many took refuge in refugee camps in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Many Palestinians in Gaza feel that if they leave the territory, it will be a repeat of 1948. Trump said that Gaza residents could be relocated temporarily or permanently. He said, "It is literally a rubble now. Almost everything has been demolished and people are dying there. So I want to join some Arab countries and build a different place where Palestinians can live in peace. Although the opinion of the Palestinians must also be considered.

What do the citizens there want? Once they have been forced to leave their homeland, is there a guarantee that they will not be in danger again? The Palestinians have done so before. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to reject the proposal to forcibly evacuate the residents of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has also vowed the same. They made this statement on Sunday after US President Donald Trump announced plans to evacuate the war-torn territory. All Gaza residents are refugees in this 15-month war, but they will not agree to leave the land.

A two-state solution is being sought to solve this problem. However, there is little progress in it. There is not much progress on the two-state policy in the new situation. The United States has proposed this earlier. The two-state solution mentions a future Palestinian state alongside Israel. The decades-long war between Palestine and Israel over unresolved issues is causing loss of life, loss of property, and instability. In most cases, innocent Palestinians are being brutally victimized. This pause is not temporary, the world wants a permanent solution. Without a permanent solution, peace will never return to the region.

The world must turn its back on war. War can give the world nothing but destruction. The United States has been supporting Israel from the beginning. What is happening in the name of the right to self-defense is not limited to self-defense, it has now reached the level of extreme inhumanity. Humanity is being lost in Palestine, the place for children is now more terrible than hell. For the past few decades, the world has seemed destined to engage in war rather than stop it. People have become so inhumane, vindictive, and cruel that hundreds of people were killed in a bomb attack on a hospital in Palestine. It is urgent to stop this atrocity by Israel and the world must take action on it. The war is further complicating the world's economic and political situation.

As a result, the two-state theory has come to the fore again to stop the war. The two-state solution is basically the establishment of two separate states, namely Palestine and Israel. In simple terms, the establishment of two states for two separate communities. The people of the two countries will live peacefully next to each other. The international community considers the two-state solution to be the best way to resolve the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. In 1947, the United Nations adopted a plan to establish separate states for Palestine and Israel. Many countries supported it. Since Israel seized power, it has launched one attack after another in Gaza. The theory of a two-state solution came through the Oslo peace talks in 1993 and both sides agreed to it. The origin of the two-state solution is the Camp David Accords (peace agreement).

In 1978, Egypt and Israel signed this agreement. Both sides claimed the city of Jerusalem as their capital. A model was set up with the aim of finding a permanent solution between the two countries. But this theory has not been implemented for a long time. As a result, such attacks have occurred at various times. Most countries and people believe that a solution is still possible with the two-state policy. There will be two separate countries and they will conduct separate independent activities. This way, a solution is possible. Moreover, the war will continue. If both sides adhere to this agreement or the two-state policy, then the unresolved issues will be resolved by mutual consent. However, that is also uncertain.

Initiatives must be taken to establish a permanent peace with the Palestinians. In this case, the two-state policy can be a significant solution. But the question is whether the Palestinians will accept their proposal so easily or not. The world must agree on the rights of the Palestinians and return their land rights. Many areas of Palestine have been reduced to rubble today due to Israel's one-on-one attacks. It is not certain how long it will take for a permanent solution to be found in that region. Those who had a roof over their heads. Today, there is none.

Man-made weapons have destroyed that roof. The people of the world should really think deeply about what they want, war or peace? Weapons or humanity? These cannot go hand in hand. The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has been effective in the past, but both have continued to fight again. In the past, too, the global demand for resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine has been strong. Plans have been made, proposals have been made, but in reality, no results have been achieved. Every child born on the face of the earth expects an independent land. War or violence is not expected from birth. World leaders should think about whether the Trump Theory will be more effective for Palestine or whether the two-state policy will be effective.

The writer is a Essayist and Columnist Pabna.