Perhaps it will be announced some time soon, but at time of writing PoO could find no record of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s decision in response to the formal invitation to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza.
No doubt he was chuffed to get the invitation, although permanent membership comes with a price tag.
A US official told CNBC there is no cost to join the Board of Peace, but a $1 billion contribution would secure permanent membership.
The group’s mandate is to “rebuild all of Gaza,” and “virtually every dollar” raised would be spent on that mandate. The group will operate without “exorbitant salaries and massive administrative bloat,” the official said.
But what influence might New Zealand wield if we commit ourselves? Or what influence will any country other than the US wield?
We ask because the New York Times says Trump has put himself in charge, with the power to veto every decision made by the committee.
PoO notes Trump declared he was “honoured” to chair the board. but he appointed himself!
The big challenge will be to demilitarise Gaza. Hamas, which has not disbanded its battalions of armed fighters, regards giving up all its weapons as tantamount to surrender, and armed struggle against Israel is a crucial part of its ideology.
The Times of Israel – reporting on the intended structure – says the Board of Peace isn’t the most important board. The Gaza Executive Board will do the heavy lifting.
The Board of Peace is the umbrella body that was mandated by the UN Security Council to oversee the postwar management of Gaza until the end of 2027.
It is chaired by Trump and will largely be made up of heads of state from around the world.
It will play a generally symbolic role and be more relevant during the fundraising stage, a senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel.
The Gaza Executive Board is the operational arm of the Board of Peace and the body that will actually oversee the postwar management of Gaza.
The Founding Executive Board (sharing nearly the same name as the Gaza Executive Board) “will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization.”
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is the committee of Palestinian technocrats that will run daily affairs on the ground and provide services for Gazans in place of Hamas. It is headed by former Palestinian Authority deputy planning minister Ali Shaath.
The International Stabilization Force will provide security for the Strip, while gradually phasing out the Israel Defence Forces, which currently remains in control of 53% of the enclave.
Professor Jerry Coyne commented:
This is a mess. There are five committees whose jobs are overlapping, a heavy U.S. presence on the supervising Board of Peace, and what I see as the most important committee at the outset—the group tasked with demilitarizing Gaza by erasing Hamas—has no specified troops.
Coyne contends that because Hamas refuses to disarm,
… there will be extensive fighting in Gaza for a long time to come. Getting rid of Hamas is Job #1, and until that is done, none of the other committees can do their jobs.
Trump said last week he wants his new “Board of Peace” to work with the United Nations, but – let’s face it – he is a compulsive liar, which means his pledge is worthless and unlikely to ease concerns among world leaders that he is trying to sideline the international body.
The White House on Thursday released a list of countries that signed onto the board, which included Belgium. Maxime Prévot, the country’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, swiftly refuted the announcement. Belgium has “reservations” about the proposal, like other European nations, he wrote on X.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had been invited – but he publicly opposed Trump’s proposed tariffs on Europe as a punishment for being against his push to take control of Greenland.
In a high-profile speech at the World Economic Forum last Tuesday, Carney urged leaders of smaller nations to band together to resist Mr. Trump’s America First doctrine and his efforts to dismantle the post-World War II international order.
On Thursday, Carney went further, denouncing “authoritarianism and exclusion”.
And guess what – Trump has rescinded his invitation to Canada.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
The group’s mandate is to “rebuild all of Gaza,” and “virtually every dollar” raised would be spent on that mandate. The group will operate without “exorbitant salaries and massive administrative bloat,” the official said.
But what influence might New Zealand wield if we commit ourselves? Or what influence will any country other than the US wield?
We ask because the New York Times says Trump has put himself in charge, with the power to veto every decision made by the committee.
PoO notes Trump declared he was “honoured” to chair the board. but he appointed himself!
The big challenge will be to demilitarise Gaza. Hamas, which has not disbanded its battalions of armed fighters, regards giving up all its weapons as tantamount to surrender, and armed struggle against Israel is a crucial part of its ideology.
The Times of Israel – reporting on the intended structure – says the Board of Peace isn’t the most important board. The Gaza Executive Board will do the heavy lifting.
The Board of Peace is the umbrella body that was mandated by the UN Security Council to oversee the postwar management of Gaza until the end of 2027.
It is chaired by Trump and will largely be made up of heads of state from around the world.
It will play a generally symbolic role and be more relevant during the fundraising stage, a senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel.
The Gaza Executive Board is the operational arm of the Board of Peace and the body that will actually oversee the postwar management of Gaza.
The Founding Executive Board (sharing nearly the same name as the Gaza Executive Board) “will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization.”
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is the committee of Palestinian technocrats that will run daily affairs on the ground and provide services for Gazans in place of Hamas. It is headed by former Palestinian Authority deputy planning minister Ali Shaath.
The International Stabilization Force will provide security for the Strip, while gradually phasing out the Israel Defence Forces, which currently remains in control of 53% of the enclave.
Professor Jerry Coyne commented:
This is a mess. There are five committees whose jobs are overlapping, a heavy U.S. presence on the supervising Board of Peace, and what I see as the most important committee at the outset—the group tasked with demilitarizing Gaza by erasing Hamas—has no specified troops.
Coyne contends that because Hamas refuses to disarm,
… there will be extensive fighting in Gaza for a long time to come. Getting rid of Hamas is Job #1, and until that is done, none of the other committees can do their jobs.
Trump said last week he wants his new “Board of Peace” to work with the United Nations, but – let’s face it – he is a compulsive liar, which means his pledge is worthless and unlikely to ease concerns among world leaders that he is trying to sideline the international body.
The White House on Thursday released a list of countries that signed onto the board, which included Belgium. Maxime Prévot, the country’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, swiftly refuted the announcement. Belgium has “reservations” about the proposal, like other European nations, he wrote on X.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had been invited – but he publicly opposed Trump’s proposed tariffs on Europe as a punishment for being against his push to take control of Greenland.
In a high-profile speech at the World Economic Forum last Tuesday, Carney urged leaders of smaller nations to band together to resist Mr. Trump’s America First doctrine and his efforts to dismantle the post-World War II international order.
On Thursday, Carney went further, denouncing “authoritarianism and exclusion”.
And guess what – Trump has rescinded his invitation to Canada.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
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