STATEMENT: The deal agreed at Sharm el-Sheikh following the plan proposed by US President Donald Trump presents a real opportunity to end genocide and famine in Gaza. It must also lead to a path towards a fair and lasting peace for all Palestinians and Israelis.  

We call on all parties to act with urgency and in good faith to seize this opportunity to secure a lasting ceasefire and troop withdrawal, free Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and detainees and restore UN-led humanitarian aid at scale. 

For President Trump’s goal of a “strong, durable and everlasting peace” to be achieved, this initiative must be grounded in the fundamental principles of international law. It must ensure an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of all Palestinian territory within the 1967 borders, not just of Gaza.

The US plan importantly asserts that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza, and that the Palestinians living there will not be forced to leave. Indefinite security control over Gaza by Israel, however, would represent a continuation of the unlawful occupation. Security for Palestinians and Israelis can only be achieved through equal sovereignty and statehood.

The leadership of the State of Palestine must now have an equal seat at the negotiating table alongside Israelis. Genuine Palestinian engagement is essential to the process as it goes forward, particularly on transitional governance and security arrangements for Gaza, and the role and mandate of any international stabilisation force. 

The long-term governance of Gaza must be Palestinian-led to ensure independence and legitimacy, paving the way for a unified State of Palestine that integrates Gaza with the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It is equally important to maintain the momentum on recognition of the State of Palestine by all UN members, to uphold accountability under international law, and to reassert the role of UN agencies (including UNRWA) in the delivery of humanitarian aid.

President Trump’s twenty-point plan will need to build on the core principles and actions set out in the New York Declaration during the French-Saudi High-Level Conference on a Two-state Solution, and endorsed by 142 UN member states in September.

If Israel is given a free hand to continue its policy of annexation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, regardless of any ceasefire in Gaza, any hope of peace will remain illusory.

Making further progress will be a test of leaders’ resolve and commitment. Now is not the time to relax pressure on either Israel or Hamas, particularly for the US, European and Arab states with leverage via various political, cultural and economic relationships.

The Elders stand in solidarity with the brave voices across all of Palestine and Israel who continue to promote a future based on peaceful co-existence between the two peoples.

ENDS

Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chair of The Elders 

Graça Machel, Founder of the Graça Machel Trust, Co-founder and Deputy Chair of The Elders  

Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the WHO 

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former head of the UN Development Programme 

Elbegdorj Tsakhia, former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia 

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 

Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and co-chair of the Taskforce on Justice 

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate 

Denis Mukwege, physician and human rights advocate, Nobel Peace Laureate 

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 

Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico 

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