The genocidal war by Israel against Gaza lasted nearly one and half year. After the ceasefire, it was expected that the world would speak the language of compassion and humility. Gaza would be rebuilt by offering the Gazans a roadmap of reconstructing their homes, hospitals, schools and all the destroyed infrastructure. But, most importantly, it would be the people of Gaza who would be playing a central role in rebuilding their country from the ruins and ashes it had been reduced to. However, the proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump is a very strange Board indeed. It is called the “Board of Peace” but includes the very people and countries who are convicted war criminals and are solely responsible for the genocide in Gaza. The Board has been touted as the most “prestigious” peace body ever assembled. But it is actually an unelected, pay-to-enter international authority chaired by a single foreign leader. It has conveniently marginalised the United Nations and completely side-lined the Palestinians. The most ridiculous part, it is demanding disarmament from the occupied while remaining silent on the war crimes of the occupier.
A Parallel to the United Nations or a Substitute for It?
Political analysts point out that “the most alarming features of the Board of Peace is not what it promises, but what it undermines.” President Trump has repeatedly argued about how the United Nations has failed to establish peace anywhere and that his Board is a more effective alternative. It is not a “UN body” but is authorised by a Security Council resolution. However, it remains outside the UN General Assembly’s oversight and other guiding principles of international treaties. This is a seriously troubling development. In its essence what has happened is that a powerful state has now created a parallel global authority that has rendered all other multi-lateral institutions redundant.
The United Nations for all its failures and limitations is based on equality, collective decision-making, and international law. In contrast, the “Board of Peace” is completely guided by the whims and fancies of its Chairman, Donald Trump. The leaked charter of the Board reportedly grants its Chairman the power to appoint and dismiss executive members, create subsidiary bodies, and shape policy direction. Permanent seats are available through a financial contribution of one billion dollars. This sounds more like a corporate boardroom where all transactions are inspired by the expected profit margins of the enterprise and are not bound by any moral values or noble principles.
It is truly a manifestation of the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺwho prophesised, “The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and instil ‘wahn’ into your hearts. Someone asked: What is ‘wahn’, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Grade – Sahih)
Disarmament Without Justice: A One-Sided Demand
At the heart of the Board’s mandate lies the real diabolical agenda of disarming legitimate Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation without any parallel obligation on Israel to withdraw, demilitarise, or end occupation. The draft framework speaks clearly about the “full demilitarisation” of Gaza, and threatens “serious consequences” if this does not occur.
This skewed vision for peace in the Holy Land exposes the “might is right” mentality of the architects of the Board. It is basic political logic – disarmament without sovereignty is surrender, not reconciliation. If you ignore the real causes of the Palestinian problem, i.e. occupation, siege, and dispossession and then you keep all the structures of domination intact to keep the oppressed quiet, your entire proposal is unjust and lacks sincerity.
In this entire “Board of Peace” exercise, Palestinians appear as subjects who need to be administered by international managers. They have no role to define their own future. It is actually deeply insulting and disrespectful of the people of Palestine.
The Real Peace
“Trump is not building peace; he is running the world like a mafia boss, demanding respect and regular payment.” (David Hearst, Editor Middle East Eye). Despite such open attacks on the prevailing international order, nobody has the guts to confront and stand up to the bullying tactics of the US and Israel. There are some dissenting voices like: Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, who said, “We cannot sign up to a text that, as it stands, raises serious concerns about international order.” China has declined to join the Board of Peace saying, “China has received the United States’ invitation to join the Board of Peace. China always practices true multilateralism. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will stay firmly committed to safeguarding the international system with the UN at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”
For Gaza, real peace will not come from boards and charters alone. It will come when Palestinians will be allowed to return to the homes and lands from which they were displaced in 1948 (Nakba) and 1967. They will be granted an Independent Palestinian State with control over borders, control over airspace and sea access, independent foreign policy and no permanent foreign military presence. There will be complete Israeli military withdrawal from occupied territories, removal or evacuation of illegal settlements and end to land confiscation and home demolitions. Can the “Board of Peace” deliver on this? If it can’t, it is, as Elon Musk said, just a “Board of Piece”. Trying to surreptitiously grab a piece of Palestine for Israel.