‘Fuelled by unprecedented greed and maniacal self-aggrandisement’
Not one Palestinian, not one woman. Nearly all the original members of the proposed Board of Peace (BoP) tasked with supervision of the so-called ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians and the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip have a distinct bias towards Israeli interests.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, for example, has long invested in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and presented his ‘Gaza Riviera’ vision at the Davos World Economic Forum. Previous UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin, men who are no strangers to illegal invasions following their takeovers of Iraq and Ukraine respectively, were also invited to join.
Trump seems to intend his brainchild to rival the United Nations on the world stage with its charter stating its objectives are ‘to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict’. A remit wider than just reconstructing Gaza.
Since the UN’s authorisation in November last year, Trump has invited 60 national leaders with almost 30 accepting. A small number of invitees have refused, including France, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Ukraine. Others including China, UK, Australia, India, Japan and His Holiness the Pope, have yet to accept.
Trump as chair will have absolute power for life and be able to veto all policy proposals.
Mica Nava, Emerita Professor of the University of East London and a member of the Jewish Voice for Peace council, highlights the thrust of the BoP’s current charter. ‘Despite its name, [it] does not address the issue of peace in Gaza,’ she said.
‘It does not propose ways of developing and supporting humanitarian relief for Gaza’s surviving population. There is no mention of mediation or justice or the right of return [of Palestinian refugees or discussion about the West Bank or the Rafah crossing [into Egypt].
‘The 500 killed, injured and tortured by Israel since the ceasefire of October 2025 are not a concern. Palestinians are erased from the BoP Charter. ‘It is clear that the BoP sees the devastated territory of Gaza as a real estate opportunity. Peace is not what the BoP is pursuing. ‘The BoP is actually an unashamed, predatory, colonial-style landgrab, fuelled by unprecedented greed and maniacal self-aggrandisement.’ she added.
