US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is quietly building relationships with international partners, including the European Union and the Palestinian Authority, to stabilize Gaza and prepare for life after the conflict, writes Politico.
Trump created the Board of Peace as the main tool for rebuilding and managing the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who visited Brussels on the 20th of April to participate in several consultations related to the conflict between Israel and the Hamas group, said that the Board of Peace is increasingly trying to involve international institutions with long-standing experience in Gaza, including the Palestinian Authority.
Eide noted that the Americans who are assigned to work on the Board of Peace have concluded that the existing institutions are quite useful – the World Bank, the UN and many other organizations already have extensive experience. The Trump administration has kept the Palestinian Authority at a safe distance from plans for the future management of Gaza, and has banned entry to the United States for anyone with a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.
However, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas invited Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa to Brussels as a special guest, and Eide noted that the relationship between Mustafa and the Board of Peace seemed better than it was being shown publicly. Negotiations with the United States, Mustafa told Eide, were going better, and there was also practical cooperation. Eide added that
Trump’s plans for Gaza also include a long-term role for the Palestinian Authority after reforms are implemented.
Eide co-chaired the Special Support Committee conference with Kallas, and reported that Trump’s high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, was also present in Brussels. This is evidence of efforts to build a connection.
A representative of the Board of Peace, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Politico that the Special Support Committee is not a competition but a consolidation of efforts.
Asked why Hamas disarmament has not been completed after months, Eide pointed to the lack of a police force or international stabilization force, both of which were promised in Trump’s 20-point plan. The minister said that now that the United States has taken the lead and Trump has achieved one of his peace goals, other countries are also allowing Americans to lead, but that means delivering on promises.
The White House and the US State Department referred Politico’s questions to the Board of Peace, which declined to answer.
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