For everyone horrified by Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, it is easy to be seduced by the latest headlines regarding President Donald Trump’s so-called peace plan. After two years of mass destruction, the present moment offers the contradictory possibility of a near-term pause in Israel’s deadly assault combined with the continued long-term subjugation of the Palestinian people.

How we arrived at this moment is the result of multiple factors, but it’s hard to overstate the impact of public outrage. Trump has never been subtle about his narcissistic desire to be seen as a peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Prize. At the same time, anti-Israel sentiment is now negatively affecting Trump’s approval ratings, with only 35 percent of American voters approving of his handling of Gaza. The Republican Party base is increasingly skeptical of the U.S.–Israel alliance, and Jewish Americans are demonstrating rising revulsion over Israel’s crimes against humanity. And no one should be surprised if there has been private engagement by Israeli elites who are already fed up with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and are seeking an off-ramp that enables them to escape global isolation — while preserving their domination over Palestinians.

The simple reality is that public opinion matters. Even if political elites in the U.S. and Israel pretend otherwise, they are impacted in different ways by public opposition to their policy choices. Though Trump’s long-term plan for Gaza is an ugly vision of neocolonial control, it can be bent and blocked by more of the global pressure that has made even this moment possible.

That’s why this is not the time for supporters of Palestinian self-determination to be quiet. It’s the moment for us to demand more.

To understand just how much has shifted in recent days, it is worth recalling the surprising headlines of the last week. First, Trump humiliated Netanyahu by releasing a photo of the Israeli leader apologizing to Qatar’s ruler for bombing his country. Then Trump announced his 20-point Gaza plan, threatening Palestinians in Gaza with more violence if Hamas didn’t accept his terms. When Hamas offered its limited acceptance, Trump called on Israel to stop bombing the Palestinian territory. “I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” he declared as he dispatched Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, his Middle East envoy, to Egypt to mediate........

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