Is Trump’s new Palestine plan a breakthrough or diplomatic mirage? Washington’s roadmap aligns surprisingly closely with a UN-backed plan – but key differences could prove unworkable

Displaced Palestinians at a tent camp in Khan Younis. Photograph: Jehad Alshrafi/AP

 Patrick Wintour in New York

Thu 25 Sep 2025

“Better truth than illusions,” Polish prime minister Donald Tusk warned on Thursday – urging scepticism over Donald Trump’s motives in claiming that Ukraine could recapture all its lost territories.

The same might be said about the US president’s new approach to Palestine, but suddenly the optimists are back, with a two-state solution emerging from the rubble of two years of war in Gaza.

The US envoy, Steve Witkoff, talks of a 21-point White House plan for Palestine that he claims regional leaders broadly support. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, says it is also compatible with the plan for Palestine set out in the New York declaration endorsed by the UN general assembly this week.

But how can there be such a convergence between the two plans – one American and one backed by the UN – and is this just another temporary Trump-induced mirage? ....READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/25/is-trumps-new-palestine-plan-a-breakthrough-or-diplomatic-mirage

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies] 

Civilian injuries in Gaza similar to those of soldiers in war zones, study finds. Wounds such as burns or leg injuries more common in Gaza than among US soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan

A Palestinian man rushes a wounded girl to al-Awda hospital in the central Gaza Strip on 24 September. Photograph: Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty

Jason Burke in Jerusalem

Thu 25 Sep 2025 20.16 EDT

Civilians in Gaza have sustained injuries of a type and on a scale more usually seen among professional soldiers involved in intense combat operations, research has found.

A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that some types of wounds – such as burns or injuries to legs – were more common among civilians in Gaza than among US soldiers fighting in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Injured civilians in Gaza are experiencing a pattern of wounds that you would expect in intense combat with military professionals. The distribution and nature [of injuries] is almost the same or worse,” said Bilal Irfan, a bioethicist who conducts research at the University of Michigan and is one of the study’s authors.

The peer-reviewed research, the first of its kind, drew on data provided between August 2024 and February 2025 by dozens of international medical professionals who have worked in Gaza during the nearly two-year-old conflict.

Irfan said the data did not include most fatal injuries. “This is data for the patients who made it to hospital and so survived. We don’t even have a full profile of the serious injuries of those who died without any medical attention,” he said... READ MORE   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/25/civilian-injuries-gaza-combat-soldiers-study

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies] 

Dear America- Russia's illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and Russia's current war on Ukraine is clearly following in the footsteps of Israel: The Zionist Project has been usurping land, rights, and peace from the indigenous people of historic Palestine since 1948.

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Bamewawagezhikaquay ('Woman of the Sound that the stars make Rushing Through the Sky')

Bamewawagezhikaquay
('Woman of the Sound that the stars make Rushing Through the Sky')

letter I just sent to my elected leaders-

Dear America,

The United States of America has a fascinating and complex history that we should be preserving in every possible way.  Our books and libraries and schools, our public TV and radio, our National Parks and museums, our support for the arts, science, etc... AND most important of all, our slow but sure empowering of the rule of fair and just laws for ALL men and women which in turn have helped shape true peace and prosperity for many people.

One of our first known poets was Jane Johnston Schoolcraft 1800-1842 who was the daughter of a Scotch-Irish fur trader. Her mother was a respected Ojibwe leader. Though Jane never published her work, she wrote approximately fifty poems in English and Ojibwe, as well as versions of Ojibwe stories, songs, and other traditionally oral texts. https://poets.org/poet/jane-johnston-schoolcraft.

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft's poem Lines Written at Castle Island, Lake Superior finds solace in nature as she concludes:

"Ah, nature! here forever sway
Far from the haunts of men away
For here, there are no sordid fears,
No crimes, no misery, no tears
No pride of wealth; the heart to fill,
No laws to treat my people ill"

That last line bears repeating: "No laws to treat my people ill"

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft should be considered one of our great nation's founding mothers.  Her ideas ring true today too, at a time when laws and policies are being shaped to empower the wealthy and corporate greed- and pollution rather than the peoples needs.

Modern life is not perfect, but it most certainly has been huge improvement over times past when slavery, injustice, and inequality were the norm. 

In 1948, after the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust, The United Nations came together, carefully built with diplomacy and the wisdom of many who understood we are "Better Together"

The idea of Universal Human Rights underscores the crucial importance of true equality with freedom and respect for ALL people, not just wealthy and privileged ones.  

International law matters immensely- for everyone's sake.

Russia's illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and Russia's current war on Ukraine is clearly following in the footsteps of Israel: The Zionist Project has been usurping land, rights, and peace from the indigenous people of historic Palestine since 1948.

American money, weaponry, and support have been helping Israel violate international law- destroying the lives & livelihoods of countless increasingly vulnerable civilians who have been cruelly denigrated, harassed, impoverished and displaced by Israel.  There is a Israeli-made famine in the prison camp called Gaza and Israel is bombing men, women, and children trapped in the rubble and ruin of their homes and tents.

AI has the power to lie and mislead- and to bury the truth in much the same way our legacy media hides the full ugly truth about Zionism, so that We the People are increasingly clueless about right and wrong.  Please STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN !  Tyrants worldwide will no longer need to burn books- just the click of a computer program will seek out and erase infinite reams.

We should be stepping up to champion diplomatic, compassionate, and intelligent ways to veer away from a world filled with bigotry, violence, injustice, poverty, pollution, AI antics, scams, ignorance, greed, and endlessly escalating war.

We should be funding the people's needs, here at home as well as abroad with The United Nations, UNESCO, and UNRWA... for everyone's sake. 

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

STOP THE SIEGE- stop funding crazy cruel Israeli schemes & the forced displacement, imprisonment, starvation, torture, and killing of human beings in Gaza and Palestine

Do not ‘co-opt’ the cross to divide: Bishops join church leaders in message after rally 21/09/2025: "As Christians from different theological and political backgrounds we stand together against the misuse of Christianity. The cross is the ultimate sign of sacrifice for the other. Jesus calls us to love both our neighbours and our enemies and to welcome the stranger. Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable."

A Prayer for The Holy Land- The Most Reverend Dr Hosam E. Naoum, Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem 2025

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is morally, legally & politically intolerable. The nightmare must stop. Today, I called on world leaders to do all they can to ensure the Two-State solution prevails, for the people of Israel, Palestine & all humanity." António Guterres , Secretary-General of the United Nations

Better Together: 80 Years of the United Nations- For 80 years, the United Nations has brought countries together with one purpose: to make the world better. Together, we advance peace and security, promote development and defend human rights. By uniting nations, we transform shared goals into collective action.

"It took just five days of public pressure to bring Jimmy Kimmel back to his show after a suspension. Five days, and he was back on air. But for 716 days, no amount of pressure has stopped the slaughter of Palestinian journalists, some of them killed on air. Yes, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off air for five days. Palestinian journalists are taken off the earth, on air, by American-supplied weapons." Mosab Abu Toha

"What we are witnessing right now is the rise of two Americas. One for the billionaire class. And one for everybody else" The American political system is badly broken- Bernie Sanders in The Guardian

"During the ceasefire earlier this year, we reached over 2 million people with food assistance. Since 2 March, UNRWA has not been allowed to bring aid in. In August famine was confirmed in Gaza City. This starvation is man-made by the Government of Israel. It is the direct result of banning food and other basic supplies for almost 7 months, including from UNRWA. The siege must be lifted. Our teams are ready to distribute aid in a safe and dignified way to the people in need." #UNRWAworks

“The only legal thing Israel can do in the Palestinian territories is to get the hell out.” —Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur

While welcome, the recognition of a Palestinian State doesn’t mean much if there isn’t a ceasefire in Gaza, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini tells BBC News on the margins of #UNGA80

In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Forces have further tightened movement and access restrictions, including the installation of new road gates to control the movement of Palestinians. In the northern West Bank, operation ‘Iron Wall’ continues, with some 32 000 residents of Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Jenin Palestine Refugee camps unable to return to their homes. More than one third of those displaced are children. UNRWA is leading the emergency response to the crisis, with some 400 staff dedicated to delivering health, emergency education, waste management, and cash assistance to those forcibly displaced.

"Statehood cannot be declared in press releases while genocide burns Gaza and land is stolen daily in the West Bank. Recognition of Palestine is hollow if it ignores the uprooting of people and the violence that became a daily reality. Better to first recognize the atrocities and confront injustice than to offer symbolic statehood to a people whose very existence is already rooted in their land yet their land, and their lives are under attack." Sliman Mansour of Palestine

From Gaza to Lebanon, Syria to Yemen, Israel is slaughtering civilians and calling it self-defense...

Both doctors described the psychological warfare Palestinians in Gaza and the medical workers are enduring: no internet, no communication with families, constant bombs. Dr. Aziz: “This is a stain on our humanity. I’m ashamed to call myself human… we need absolute, unimpeded medical aid and an arms embargo now.”

"Even before the war, we lived in danger every day. And today, the suffering has only grown worse… " Mahmoud Massri from Gaza. A witness of the Genocide.

Israel spending millions on online ad campaigns to deny Gaza famine: Report Israel spent $50M on deal with Google, X, other ad platforms to deny famine in Gaza, says new report: "Israel's strategy highlights the vulnerability of the international public to emotionally persuasive narratives and the challenges faced by fact-checkers and traditional journalists in countering them..."

Israel imposes permits for Palestinians to access their own West Bank villages: Residents of three Palestinian communities now need Israeli-issued permits to access their own homes, fuelling fears of creeping annexation

As its former ambassadors, we urge the EU to sanction Israel now- Europe must not let Gaza become the graveyard of international law and human rights. STATEMENT by Former EU and Member State Ambassadors and Senior Officials

"Fashion has always been political. Now, demonstrators are putting pro-Palestinian slogans and symbols on their clothes – and not just for marches" REPORTING by Ellie Violet Bramley. Photographs by Ethan Parker in The Guardian

Civilians made up 15 of every 16 people killed by Israel in Gaza since March, data suggests Report from independent conflict tracker Acled indicates one of the highest civilian death rates since start of war

Owen Jones Goes To Palestine

Amnesty International has released a list of global companies implicated in war crimes against Palestinians, providing Israel with technologies, equipment, or services that enable human rights violations. Despite international warnings, these corporations continue their activities, making them complicit in ongoing war crimes against civilians.

Dear America- The weapons industry and a global war machine- AND INJUSTICE- burgeon with American tax payer funds.

Violence is a problem- not the answer.

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

"What we are witnessing right now is the rise of two Americas. One for the billionaire class. And one for everybody else" The American political system is badly broken- Bernie Sanders in The Guardian

An unhoused person sleeps on a bench at the Columbus Circle monument, in view of the US Capitol in Washington DC, on 18 August. Photograph: Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Wed 24 Sep 2025 06.00 EDT

Let’s take a deep breath and, for one moment, forget about Donald Trump, Jimmy Kimmel, the UN, Charlie Kirk, Gaza, a government shutdown and the other crises that we face.

Let’s talk instead about the reality which the corporately-controlled media and the corporately-controlled political system don’t talk about very much.

What we are witnessing right now is the rise of two Americas. One for the billionaire class. And one for everybody else.

In one America, the richest people are becoming obscenely richer and have never, ever, had it so good. That America is overflowing with unimaginable wealth, greed and opulence that makes the Gilded Age seem very modest.

And then there is a second America – an America where a majority of people live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to secure the very basic necessities of life – food, healthcare, housing and education.

The simple truth is that never before in our history have so few had so much wealth and power while so many live in economic desperation... READ MORE   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/24/bernie-sanders-opinion-billionaire-politics 

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies] 

"During the ceasefire earlier this year, we reached over 2 million people with food assistance. Since 2 March, UNRWA has not been allowed to bring aid in. In August famine was confirmed in Gaza City. This starvation is man-made by the Government of Israel. It is the direct result of banning food and other basic supplies for almost 7 months, including from UNRWA. The siege must be lifted. Our teams are ready to distribute aid in a safe and dignified way to the people in need." #UNRWAworks

 UNRWA

@UNRWA

 

UNRWA teams are staying in #Gaza and continue to deliver essential services including primary health care, water, sanitation and shelter management. 

 

During the ceasefire earlier this year, we reached over 2 million people with food assistance. 

 

Since 2 March, UNRWA has not been allowed to bring aid in. 

 

In August famine was confirmed in Gaza City. 

 

This starvation is man-made by the Government of Israel. It is the direct result of banning food and other basic supplies for almost 7 months, including from UNRWA. 

 

The siege must be lifted. 

 

Our teams are ready to distribute aid in a safe and dignified way to the people in need. 

 

Let us do our work. 

 

#CeasefireNow

UNRWA

 

@UNRWA

 

“I hope that my son’s children can live in peace and safety,” says Jaziya. 

 

The over one hundred-year-old woman is forcibly displaced to the south of the #Gaza Strip. 

 

“I was sitting on a metal wheelchair along a destroyed road, and every metre I crossed left its mark on my frail body.” 

 

 #CeasefireNow

‪UNRWA‬ ‪@unrwa.org‬

People in Gaza City are facing daily bombardment, famine and compromised access to means of survival. Israeli Forces placed the entire city under a displacement order. But people have nowhere to go to. There is no safe place in #Gaza. #CeasefireNow 

 

https://bsky.app/profile/unrwa.org/post/3lzikphej532z 

 

UNRWA

@UNRWA

 

#Gaza: a Man-made #famine, fabricated and could have been prevented. 

 

At #UNGA80, @UNLazzrini discusses how an era of indifference has led to no meaningful action taken to stop the atrocities in Gaza.

 

 #SDGLive w/ @CarlSkau & @EdemWosornu Watch here from @UNWebTV    https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1r/k

 

https://x.com/UNRWA/status/1970607415256093144 

 

 UNRWA‬ ‪@unrwa.org‬

"#Gaza has been the battleground of a fierce and rampant information war. 

 

Disinformation continues to be used as a tool to distract from the atrocities in the war-torn enclave." — UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini

https://bsky.app/profile/unrwa.org 

“The only legal thing Israel can do in the Palestinian territories is to get the hell out.” —Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur

“The only legal thing Israel can do in the Palestinian territories is to get the hell out.” —Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur

While welcome, the recognition of a Palestinian State doesn’t mean much if there isn’t a ceasefire in Gaza, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini tells BBC News on the margins of #UNGA80

Better Together: 80 Years of the United Nations- For 80 years, the United Nations has brought countries together with one purpose: to make the world better. Together, we advance peace and security, promote development and defend human rights. By uniting nations, we transform shared goals into collective action.

In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Forces have further tightened movement and access restrictions, including the installation of new road gates to control the movement of Palestinians. In the northern West Bank, operation ‘Iron Wall’ continues, with some 32 000 residents of Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Jenin Palestine Refugee camps unable to return to their homes. More than one third of those displaced are children. UNRWA is leading the emergency response to the crisis, with some 400 staff dedicated to delivering health, emergency education, waste management, and cash assistance to those forcibly displaced.

UNRWA

@UNRWA

In the occupied #WestBank, the Israeli Forces have further tightened movement and access restrictions, including the installation of new road gates to control the movement of Palestinians. 

 

In the northern West Bank, operation ‘Iron Wall’ continues, with some 32 000 residents of Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Jenin #Palestine Refugee camps unable to return to their homes. 

 

More than one third of those displaced are children. 

 

UNRWA is leading the emergency response to the crisis, with some 400 staff dedicated to delivering health, emergency education, waste management, and cash assistance to those forcibly displaced. 

 

 #UNGA80 #UNRWAworks

 

United Nations Geneva

 

@UNGeneva

For 80 years, the UN has brought countries together with one purpose: to make the world better. 

 

Together, we advance peace and security, promote development and defend human rights. 

 

By uniting nations, we transform shared goals into collective action. 

 

 #UN80 #BetterTogether

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is morally, legally & politically intolerable. The nightmare must stop. Today, I called on world leaders to do all they can to ensure the Two-State solution prevails, for the people of Israel, Palestine & all humanity." António Guterres , Secretary-General of the United Nations

António Guterres

@antonioguterres

 

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is morally, legally & politically intolerable. The nightmare must stop. Today, I called on world leaders to do all they can to ensure the Two-State solution prevails, for the people of Israel, Palestine & all humanity.

"It took just five days of public pressure to bring Jimmy Kimmel back to his show after a suspension. Five days, and he was back on air. But for 716 days, no amount of pressure has stopped the slaughter of Palestinian journalists, some of them killed on air. Yes, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off air for five days. Palestinian journalists are taken off the earth, on air, by American-supplied weapons." Mosab Abu Toha

 Mosab Abu Toha

@MosabAbuToha

It took just five days of public pressure to bring Jimmy Kimmel back to his show after a suspension.  Five days, and he was back on air. 

 

But for 716 days, no amount of pressure has stopped the slaughter of Palestinian journalists, some of them killed on air. 

 

Yes, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off air for five days. Palestinian journalists are taken off the earth, on air, by American-supplied weapons.