The False Promises of Peace Boards
At the Munich Security Conference, reports surfaced concerning former President Trump's team proposing a 'Gaza Board of Peace,' supposedly to secure reconstruction funds and a lasting resolution. This initiative, championed by figures like Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Jared Kushner, triggered immediate apprehension from European Union officials who view it as a direct affront
to the United Nations’ established role in conflict mediation and a thinly veiled attempt to assert unilateral control over post-conflict arrangements. This isn't an isolated incident but a continuation of a pattern, notably from the same administration that presented the 2020 'Deal of the Century,' a plan so one-sided it was rejected outright by Palestinians and much of the international
community. The proposal’s emphasis on Gulf funding, bypassing UN agencies like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which provides essential services to 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, echoes the systematic defunding efforts seen under the Trump administration, which cut $300 million in aid to UNRWA in 2018. Such moves consistently undermine the very infrastructure for humanitarian
aid and political resolution under international law, preferring unaccountable private ventures. The current U.S. apprehension towards multilateral institutions like the UN, or even the International Criminal Court, comes into stark relief when compared to the rhetoric emphasizing 'rules-based order' for adversaries. Historically, when global powers seek to impose solutions without consensus, they