The Perennial 'Peace' Charade
When Israeli Foreign Minister Saar agreed to attend Donald Trump’s first ‘Board of Peace’ meeting, with US officials suggesting the focus would be Gaza’s post-war reconstruction, it presented itself as a diplomatic overture. This gathering, set to discuss the future of a territory devastated by two years of conflict, appears on the surface to be a standard international effort at resolution. Yet,
this isn't a new script. The United States has a documented pattern of initiating 'peace' talks that consistently marginalize Palestinian agency, dating back to the Camp David Accords in 1978 and 1993's Oslo agreements. Each instance, presented as a breakthrough, ultimately ceded more ground to Israeli interests, leaving Palestinians with diminished sovereignty and fragmented territories. The very
concept of a 'Board of Peace' convened outside international consensus, particularly given Trump's 'Deal of the Century' that sought to unilaterally carve up Palestinian lands, rings with foreboding familiarity. These are not impartial mediations; they are strategic maneuvers to normalize occupation. Instead of addressing the root causes of conflict—occupation, displacement, and the denial of
self-determination—these recurring spectacles redirect attention to the 'management' of suffering. This latest iteration, focusing on 'reconstruction' in Gaza without demanding accountability for its destruction or a halt to ongoing settlement expansion, serves to transform Palestinian resistance into a 'security' problem for Israel, masking the systemic oppression. It is a cynical loop: impose