.jpg)
By Mihar Dias October 2025
Former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s latest commentary on Donald Trump’s 20-point “proposal” to end Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza deserves close attention. Far from being a peace initiative, Mahathir argues, it is nothing more than a surrender document drawn up with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.https://www.facebook.com/share/17Uv4irmUV/
At its core, the proposal is not an offer but a threat: Hamas must accept it within four days, or Israel’s bombardment will escalate. https://www.facebook.com/share/17Uv4irmUV/
That kind of ultimatum strips away any illusion of negotiation. It is coercion, not compromise. And because the plan was drafted with Netanyahu himself, its lopsided nature is unsurprising—it is written for Israel’s benefit, not Palestine’s survival. https://www.facebook.com/share/17Uv4irmUV/
The tragedy is that after more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, after Gaza has been reduced to rubble, this “deal” asks the victims to make their losses meaningless. https://www.facebook.com/share/17Uv4irmUV/
Acceptance would be tantamount to declaring that the lives lost, the homes destroyed, and the sacrifices endured were in vain. In other words: surrender and call it peace.
Trump has long relied on the politics of pressure. Whether tariffs, sanctions, or bluster, his methods depend on threats rather than persuasion. https://www.facebook.com/share/17Uv4irmUV/
His record shows it clearly: Ukraine remains engulfed in conflict, targeted killings continue, and now Gaza is presented with a choice between annihilation and submission. Trump does not broker peace; he repackages power imbalances. https://www.facebook.com/share/17Uv4irmUV/
Mahathir is right to predict that Hamas is unlikely to accept such terms. https://www.facebook.com/share/17Uv4irmUV/
And when they reject it, the United States and Israel will claim they offered “peace” and were spurned. The narrative will be twisted to place the blame back on the Palestinians, justifying further military escalation under the guise of inevitability.
The world must resist the temptation to treat this proposal as a genuine roadmap to peace. Words like “plan” and “proposal” can disguise far harsher realities.
What is unfolding is not the end of genocide but its continuation, legitimized through political theatre.
For Malaysians, this is not a distant quarrel in a faraway land. Our streets have already seen marches in solidarity with Palestine, our mosques have echoed with prayers for Gaza, and our diplomats have spoken out in international forums.
When proposals like Trump’s are allowed to masquerade as peace, silence is complicity.
If Malaysia values justice and sovereignty for itself, it must also raise its voice against attempts to dress surrender as negotiation. Our moral credibility depends on it.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
