The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Belarus have confirmed they will join U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed 'Board of Peace,' an initiative initially framed as part of a plan to end the war in Gaza but whose broadened global mandate is drawing significant international concern and skepticism. The UAE's foreign ministry stated its decision reflects the importance of fully implementing Trump's 20-point peace plan, which it called critical for the "realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people". Bahrain similarly expressed appreciation for Trump's efforts to achieve peace in the region. Their acceptances come alongside confirmations from other nations including Argentina, Hungary, Morocco, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan, while heavyweight European powers like France have declined, citing fundamental concerns about the board's structure and its challenge to the United Nations.
From a Palestinian perspective, the emerging architecture of this U.S.-led initiative represents not a pathway to self-determination, but a new model of external control imposed over the heads of the Palestinian people. The most senior boards contain no Palestinian representatives. A 'Founding Executive Board' is dominated by U.S. figures including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose association with the Iraq war makes his inclusion particularly inflammatory for many Arabs. A separate 'Gaza Executive Board' includes officials from Turkey, Qatar, and the UAE but still lacks Palestinian political leadership. The only formal Palestinian role is relegated to a subordinate 'National Committee for the Administration of Gaza,' a technocratic body tasked with day-to-day municipal governance but stripped of sovereign authority. This structure has led critics to label the plan a colonial solution, handing control of Gaza to a Trump-run board for two years in direct contradiction to UN principles of self-determination.
Further entrenching this dynamic is the board's controversial "pay-to-play" charter, which offers permanent membership in exchange for a $1 billion cash contribution, relegating poorer nations to temporary, second-class status and commodifying the peace process. The board's chairman, President Trump for life, according to the charter wields absolute veto power and unilateral authority to set agendas and eject members. This framework has raised alarm that the body is intended to act as a rival to the UN Security Council, an impression reinforced by Trump's threats to slap 200% tariffs on French wine after President Emmanuel Macron refused to join.
For Palestinians in Gaza, the immediate reality remains one of unbearable limbo and continued suffering. The board's formation occurs as Israel maintains control over more than half of the Gaza Strip and opposes key elements of the plan, such as the inclusion of Turkish or Qatari personnel in any security force. While a ceasefire holds in name, Israeli bombardments continue, having killed hundreds since the truce began. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, with 80% of buildings damaged or destroyed, millions of tonnes of hazardous rubble, and the majority of the population facing crisis-level food insecurity. The board, with its billion-dollar membership fees and lack of Palestinian sovereignty, appears to many as a mechanism for managing a permanent state of subjugation and dependency, rather than delivering the meaningful political horizon and right of return that Palestinians demand.