{"id":44502,"date":"2025-10-12T12:46:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T19:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=44502"},"modified":"2025-10-12T12:46:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T19:46:15","slug":"who-made-the-gaza-peace-plan-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/12\/who-made-the-gaza-peace-plan-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Who made the Gaza peace plan possible?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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An international debate over the Nobel Peace Prize overlooked voices standing in solidarity and bearing witness to international crimes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Shahid Buttar<\/a> Oct 11, 2025<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before the recent announcement of the \u201cGaza peace plan<\/a>,\u201d I wrote a few pieces about the flotilla missions aiming to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza despite the criminal Israeli genocide. Among other things, those pieces explored the possibility<\/a> of international solidarity with Gaza expanding<\/a> in the wake of a U.S. labor leader enduring<\/a> discriminatory state violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest unarmed flotilla mission intercepted<\/a> by the Israeli Navy may have played a bigger role in compelling the peace plan than most observers realize. Coming on the heels of previous efforts, it confronted Israeli belligerence, which prompted a crucial international reaction whose impacts remain largely unobserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While many debated whether or not another U.S. president<\/a> deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize, few recognized the events that likely played a bigger role in forcing Israel to accept the ceasefire long (ineffectually) demanded by the international community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What solidarity looks like<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Solidarity references action rooted in the recognition of shared interests. It evokes the power of collective action, as well as the profound service implicit in standing alongside others to challenge abuses to which we ourselves have not (yet) been subjected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might come as no surprise, then, to see a visionary Black U.S. labor leader<\/a> joining the Sumud flotilla (named after an Arabic word connoting steadfast perseverance<\/a>) and serving as one of the flotilla\u2019s spokespeople. The detention of Chris Smalls by Israeli authorities, who then subjected him to state violence<\/a> in custody, is not far removed from the vicious attacks on civil rights organizers by authorities across the South\u2014and in Washington, DC\u2014during the Jim Crow era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has more relevance to today\u2019s context than most observers realized before Trump\u2019s return<\/a> to Washington earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flotilla\u00a0intercepted<\/a>\u00a0last week mobilized a massive\u2014and widely representative\u2014global base of support<\/a>. It consisted of over 40 ships, and 500 participants coming from over 44 different countries. Noteworthy participants included an elected policymaker from Portugal, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, the former Mayor of Barcelona, and climate justice spokesperson and international (and intergenerational) hero Greta Thunberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Greta Thunberg upon landing in Greece after enduring abuse in Israeli custody<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What heroism looks like<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thunberg\u2019s participation in the flotilla is noteworthy for several reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First, Israel would likely have embraced even more severe violence<\/a> in its response to the flotilla had white Europeans not been on board. According to the head of Amnesty International, the interception was a \u201ccalculated act of intimidation<\/a> . . . intended to punish and silence critics of Israel\u2019s genocide and its unlawful blockade on Gaza.\u201d Without the presence of White Europeans, that intimidation would likely have been as lethal as other Israeli operations<\/a> falsely described as defensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be fair, even white Americans have been killed<\/a> by Israeli soldiers with impunity. On the one hand, that might suggest limits to the value of international solidarity. That view, however, mistakes the ways in which movements build over time, and how voices speaking in one era can inspire<\/a> those who come after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In retrospect, the prescience and courage of Rachel Corrie may have inspired the more recent self-immolation of U.S. servicemember Aaron Bushnell<\/a>. Few have appreciated the unique challenges confronting military servicemembers, whose choices illustrate the moral conundrum that so many of us confront in different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Servicemembers, in particular, are trapped between a proverbial rock and a hard place. By enlisting, they sacrifice their First Amendment rights, which effectively blocks them from publicly speaking out to challenge the crimes of their leaders. Meanwhile, following orders supporting an ongoing genocide risks the specter of becoming complicit in international crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If servicemembers disobey orders in order to comply with international legal principles settled at Nuremberg, they risk a court-martial (soon). On the other hand, if they follow those illegal orders, they risk international liability for human rights violations (later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is a faustian choice, which makes the acts of solidarity by civilians so crucial. Few demonstrate that example better than Chris Smalls<\/a> and Greta Thunberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intersectionality<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Second, Thunberg, in particular, demonstrates the intersectionality of the various issues visible in today\u2019s accelerating crises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some might imagine climate justice to be separable from human rights struggles. They overlook the extent to which climate chaos has been largely enabled by strategic denials of human rights. The recurring tragic experiences of populations<\/a> living in regions<\/a> rich in fossil fuel resources offer compelling case studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The West was warned of this dynamic decades ago. The late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. explained that capitalism (i.e., industrial resource extraction) inevitably intersects (i.e., relies upon and also reinforces) militarism and racism. His recognition of intersectionality<\/a> is among the most profound gifts<\/a> that he left us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Few stand in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with as much consistency as Thunberg. In that respect, her example might be poised to help others finally recognize his radical legacy<\/a>\u2014and ideally, take action<\/a> to support its realization in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If nothing else, Greta has also experienced a pattern similar to what MLK encountered during his era. She was widely welcomed when she challenged climate nihilism\u2014but equally widely condemned when she stepped forward to challenge the Israeli genocide. Similarly, MLK was lauded as a civil rights hero by many voices that turned their backs on him once he began to assertively challenge Washington\u2019s war on Vietnam and the militarism that enabled it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intergenerational leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Third, Thunberg embodies the generational change impeded in the U.S. by decades of continuing bipartisan corruption<\/a> in Washington. She emerged as a global grassroots leader as a teenager, and remains in her early 20s. Her voice resonates with young people in a way that the geriatric organizers of climate chaos cannot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before she was detained, she recorded a short video<\/a> that I encourage every reader to watch<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aid that the flotilla aimed to deliver was crucially important because Israel had imposed a deliberate starvation campaign<\/a> as part of its genocide. While many concerns have emerged<\/a> about the legitimacy and durability of the nascent peace plan, the most immediate way in which it has changed life on the ground for Gazans is by re-opening the delivery of humanitarian aid<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amnesty International\u2019s Secretary General Agn\u00e8s Callamard explained<\/a> that Israel\u2019s interception of the Sumud flotilla:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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comes after weeks of threats and incitement by Israeli officials against the flotilla and its participants and after several attempts to sabotage some of its ships\u2026.The very fact that they had to set sail in the first place is a clear indictment of the international community\u2019s persistent failure to end Israel\u2019s ongoing genocide and to ensure the unhindered flow of aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In this context, the flotilla may have focused international attention on an unfolding genocide, in a way that years of Israeli bombing campaigns\u2014and sniper attacks on unarmed children\u2014somehow did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many voices have debated in the past few days whether President Trump deserved the Nobel Peace Prize based on his diplomacy between Israel and Gaza. They all overlooked the far more influential impact of international solidarity\u2014and the millions of people of conscience from around the world who have taken action to challenge the Israeli genocide and defend human rights in exile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swift global reaction inspired a growing wave<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Around the world, reaction to Israel\u2019s assault on the flotilla was both swift and dramatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both Italy<\/a> and Germany<\/a>, activists shut down mass transit networks, while calls mounted across Europe for an ensuing general strike. The government of Colombia expelled Israeli diplomats<\/a> and cancelled its free trade agreement with Israel, while Turkish officials described the Israeli assault on the flotilla as \u201can act of terrorism.\u201d A litany of other countries<\/a> witnessed either grassroots action, condemnation by officials of Israeli actions, or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s assaults on the rights of Americans\u2014particularly visible at the moment in Chicago, where I lived throughout the 1990s\u2014is largely intended to diminish our collective capacity to model these examples from Europe and elsewhere. Whether it proved successful would have been as much up to us as it would have been to the authorities who aim to compel our complacence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that context, I see the announcement of a \u201cGaza peace plan\u201d as akin to George W. Bush\u2019s speech on May 1, 2003 before a \u201cmission accomplished<\/a>\u201d banner hung from the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. Both were measures taken theoretically to advance human rights, but particularly, to hamstring domestic dissent and derail mounting international condemnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A preview of some upcoming posts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I started a series<\/a> earlier this year examining<\/a> the impact of Trump\u2019s policies on the U.S. economy. Finishing it has stymied me, but I\u2019ve got a draft in motion of the next installment that I hope to finish developing soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve also been working on pieces exploring the effective imposition of martial law in Chicago, and a further analysis of this week\u2019s international discussion surrounding the Nobel Peace Prize. While I\u2019m the first to argue that Trump\u2019s domestic violations of civil rights and civil liberties should disqualify him for any discussion of the award, I\u2019ll make a case that he might have ironically deserved it\u2014for reasons very different than he and his confused supporters seem to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finally, I\u2019ve got a piece about a bizarre alignment that emerged between the far left and far right unnoticed by the centrist voices whose gaslighting brought them together. I might ultimately make it a bonus section for paid subscribers rather than a standalone article, but we\u2019ll see how many topics emerge to further distract me between now and whenever it comes to rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An international debate over the Nobel Peace Prize overlooked voices standing in solidarity and bearing witness to international crimes Shahid Buttar Oct 11, 2025 Before the recent announcement of the \u201cGaza peace plan,\u201d I wrote a few pieces about the flotilla missions aiming to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44502"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44505,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44502\/revisions\/44505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}