The Board of Peace, a body established by U.S. President Donald Trump to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, is facing a major test as it implements the recent agreement for the disarmament of the Palestinian group Hamas.
What is the Board of Peace?
The Board of Peace was first mentioned in September when the White House released Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The board’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on Hamas to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels, and envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force, and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave after more than two years of war.
More than two dozen nations have signed on as the board’s founding members, including Israel and other regional heavyweights, as well as countries from outside the Middle East such as Indonesia, Paraguay, and Vietnam. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined the board but took part in a February meeting as observers.
Implementation and Verification
Nickolay Mladenov, the director-general of the Board of Peace in Gaza, said that implementation and verification have to be real, and withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning. The National Committee for The Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian technocratic body that operates under the supervision of the Board of Peace, is tasked with administering Gaza in the interim period after Hamas gives up control.
The committee will set up a new police force to replace the one previously run by Hamas and implement the disarmament process. The details of the disarmament process are not yet clear, but the committee said it is ready to assume responsibility for governing Gaza and restoring public services and the rule of law.
Ambitious Plans
The Trump administration has laid out ambitious plans for rebuilding Gaza with international investment. In Davos last year, Jared Kushner suggested that reconstruction could be complete in a matter of three years, even though U.N. forecasts suggest that clearing rubble and demining alone could take much longer.
Kushner’s plans showed a reconstructed Gaza with a coastal tourism strip, industrial zones, and data centers. He conceded that rebuilding would begin only in demilitarized areas and that security would be essential to attract investment.
A Stabilization Force
The ceasefire deal also calls for a temporary International Stabilization Force made up of soldiers from Arab and Muslim-majority countries. The force’s mandate is not spelled out in detail, but would include securing aid deliveries, preventing weapons smuggling, and vetting and training a Palestinian police force.
Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania have pledged to send troops for the force, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to train police. Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a heavily damaged and largely depopulated city under full Israeli control, where the U.S. administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
