After officially ratifying his proposed Board of Peace in January, according to the U.S. Embassy, President Donald Trump is determined to end the war in Gaza.
The Board of Peace was created by Trump to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza after destruction from the Israeli-Palestine war, according to CNN. In addition to the United States, Trump has invited other countries to join, according to AP News.
While various countries have said “yes” to Trump’s invitation, many others have yet to respond, with some even saying no, according to AP News. Though there is no official reason why countries have not yet made their decision, the $1 billion investment to become a lifetime member of the board might be affecting its legitimacy, according to University of Indianapolis Professor of International Relations Milind Thakar.
According to Thakar, organizations like the United Nations take a proportionate amount of money from its members. This means richer countries, like Canada, Germany or the U.S., pay more than the poorer countries. Thakar referred to the Board of Peace as a sort of “rich man’s club.”
University of Indianapolis Professor of International Relations Douglas Woodwell believes the $1 billion sign-on is not a bad idea. Woodwell explained that, rather than begging pre-existing members for money in the future, the board chose to do so immediately. If each member paid $1 billion for their lifetime spot, that would be over $25 billion for reconstruction, which, according to Woodwell, is a “darn good start.”
Trump will be chairing the board for life, heading the organization’s mission for promoting stability, peace and governance “in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” according to CNN. While the board is new, it has not shared what exactly success would look like, according to Thakar.
“Now, it could well turn out that this could be a wonderful organization with a really good plan to rehabilitate Gaza into a functioning, thriving economy,” Thakar said. “But I’m not going to hold my breath on that, because I’d like to see something more clearly articulated.”
Futuristic-looking high-rises were shown in a slideshow at the World Economic Forum, highlighting what Gaza will look like after the board’s multi-step reconstruction plan is completed, according to CNN. The presentation explained that the board’s plan included Hamas demilitarizing, which the U.S. is “going to enforce.”
“We’ve been watching so much miserable news from [Gaza] for years now,” Woodwell said. “I would like to see them, by the end of this decade, maybe, steamrolling toward a better future.”
