UN Experts Warn Gaza Peace Plan Risks Entrenching Oppression, Not Ending War

United Nations human rights experts have welcomed aspects of the recently announced U.S.-backed Gaza peace plan but issued a stark warning that any agreement failing to fully safeguard the human rights and self-determination of Palestinians risks deepening injustice and prolonging conflict. The experts expressed hope for a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian relief for Gaza’s devastated population but cautioned that peace “must not come at the expense of justice, accountability, and sovereignty.”

Qualified Support for Ceasefire, Aid, and Release of Detainees

In a joint statement, the UN experts said they “welcome parts of the peace plan announced by the United States” that call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of unlawfully detained persons, increased humanitarian aid under UN supervision, and guarantees against forced displacement or annexation of Palestinian land.

“These are fundamental requirements of international law,” the experts noted, emphasizing that such principles should not depend on a formal political deal. “Ceasefire and humanitarian access are obligations—not concessions.”

Legal Concerns Over Inconsistencies with International Law

Despite these positive aspects, the experts expressed alarm that key provisions of the peace plan directly contradict the 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which declared Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful and ordered an immediate, total withdrawal.

“Imposing an immediate peace at any price, regardless of or brazenly against law and justice, is a recipe for future violence and instability,” the UN experts cautioned. They stressed that any peace initiative failing to address core legal obligations—particularly ending the occupation and ensuring self-determination—would “merely freeze oppression under a new label.”

Violations of Palestinian Self-Determination

Central to the experts’ critique is that the plan does not guarantee Palestinian self-determination or independent statehood, instead making these rights conditional on factors such as Gaza’s reconstruction, Palestinian Authority reform, and further “dialogue” with Israel.

Such conditions, they said, “place Palestine’s future at the mercy of outsiders,” undermining the right to national independence recognized by international law. The experts noted that the Israeli Prime Minister has openly vowed to “forcibly resist” Palestinian statehood, contradicting the ICJ’s ruling that the right of self-determination cannot be made contingent on negotiations.

Exclusion of Legitimate Representation and UN Oversight

The proposed “temporary transitional government” for Gaza, according to the experts, is not representative of the Palestinian people and even excludes the Palestinian Authority, violating the principle of democratic self-governance. They criticized the lack of benchmarks or timelines for a genuine political transition.

Equally troubling, the plan proposes oversight by a “Board of Peace” chaired by the U.S. President, bypassing the United Nations, which the ICJ has affirmed as the legitimate body to supervise the end of the occupation. “The United States cannot act as both a partisan actor and a peace guarantor,” the experts said. “This approach recalls colonial practices that place a population’s destiny under the control of foreign powers.”

Risk of Perpetuating Occupation and New Forms of Control

The peace plan’s proposal for an “International Stabilisation Force”, led by the United States and its allies, also drew strong condemnation. The experts warned that this could replace Israeli occupation with a U.S.-led military presence, undermining Palestinian sovereignty and perpetuating dependency.

They also highlighted the danger of a continued “security perimeter” inside Gaza’s borders, amounting to a de facto Israeli occupation, and criticized the plan’s demand for permanent demilitarization of Gaza without a reciprocal commitment from Israel. “Disarmament must apply equally,” they said, pointing to Israel’s record of aggression and its regional military campaigns.

Selective Justice and Lack of Accountability

The experts condemned the plan’s failure to ensure accountability for international crimes committed during the Gaza war, including war crimes, collective punishment, and indiscriminate attacks. “There is no commitment to transitional justice, historical truth-telling, or reconciliation,” they observed.

The plan also unequally prioritizes the release of Israeli hostages while calling for the liberation of only a portion of the thousands of arbitrarily detained Palestinians, many of whom are minors. Furthermore, while amnesty provisions are extended to members of Hamas, they lack any mechanism to prosecute individuals—Israeli or Palestinian—responsible for grave crimes.

“There can be no lasting peace without justice,” the experts stressed. “Failure to ensure accountability guarantees recurrence.”

Ignoring the Broader Palestinian Context

The experts also criticized the plan’s isolation of Gaza from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which they described as “an artificial fragmentation” of a single occupied territory. They warned that economic development projects and proposed “special economic zones” risk creating foreign-controlled enclaves and enabling the illegal exploitation of Palestinian resources without consent.

Additionally, the plan’s silence on illegal Israeli settlements, border demarcation, refugee rights, and compensation for war damage reflects, the experts said, a “deliberate omission of justice-related issues essential to any durable peace.”

UN’s Role and the ICJ Mandate

Reaffirming the International Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory ruling, the UN experts underscored that the UN—not Israel or its allies—is the legitimate authority to oversee the end of the occupation and to guide the transition toward a Palestinian state that fully exercises its right to self-determination.

“The occupation must end immediately, totally, and unconditionally,” they said. “Reparations must be made to the Palestinian people for decades of unlawful occupation and destruction.”

They urged all parties to place the United Nations, including the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), at the center of any transition process. Excluding the UN, they warned, would undermine legitimacy and perpetuate power imbalances.

Toward a Just and Sustainable Peace

The UN experts concluded that peace cannot be dictated under duress or crafted to serve geopolitical interests. A sustainable settlement requires justice, accountability, reparations, and respect for international law—not “temporary calm built on continued domination.”

“The future of Palestine must be in the hands of the Palestinian people,” they declared. “Any peace imposed from outside will not be peace, but a continuation of oppression under another name.”