Trump’s Board of Peace
February 2, 2026
On September 29, 2025, the White House announced President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.[i] The first phase of the ceasefire came into effect on October 10.
On November 17, 2025, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 (2025).[ii]
The Resolution endorsed the Comprehensive Plan and called on all parties to implement it in its entirety, including maintenance of the ceasefire, in good faith and without delay. It also welcomed the establishment of the Board of Peace (BoP) as a transitional administration with international legal personality that will set the framework and coordinate funding for the redevelopment of Gaza pursuant to the Comprehensive Plan, and in a manner consistent with relevant international legal principles.
Since then, peace in Gaza has been taken over by other major developments, among them the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, which Secretary Rubio insists was not an act of war, the Greenland crisis, the possibility of a second attack on Iran, uncertainties in Syria, and the BoP, whether or not it will emerge as a challenge to the UN Security Council, and the shocking killings in Minneapolis.
In the meantime, i.e., since the start of the so-called ceasefire in October, nearly 500 Gazans have been killed, settler violence has continued, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has kept reiterating that there will be no Palestinian state in Gaza. Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza is now in its second phase, which is supposed to see the reconstruction and full demilitarization of Gaza, including the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
In brief, these are distracting times.
Trump’s criticism of the UN is nothing new. On September 23, 2025, he told world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly that during the first seven months of his second term, he ended “seven unendable” wars, but the global body offered little help. “What is the purpose of the United Nations?” he asked, adding, “All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war.”
On January 7, 2026, Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the US from 66 international organizations that no longer serve American interests. Among those were “35 non-United Nations (UN) organizations and 31 UN entities that operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.”[iii]
On the same day, asked in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times if there were any limits on his global powers, Mr. Trump said: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” “I don’t need international law,” he added. [iv]
On January 22, 2026, in a ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump formally ratified the Charter of the Board of Peace, establishing it as an official international organization.
He was followed by Jared Kushner, who explained the master plan for the rebuilding of Gaza with 180 skyscrapers.
The choice of the word “charter” for the BoP’s founding document, like the UN Charter, could not be just a coincidence.
In its preamble, the BoP Charter states that durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed; it reaffirms that only sustained, result-oriented partnerships can secure peace, and it laments institutional crises. These, no doubt, are selected references to highlight the UN’s failures.
Article 1 of the Charter states that the Board of Peace is an international organization and shall undertake peace-building functions in accordance with international law. However, international organizations have traditionally been founded by international treaties, often more than one. The BoP Charter is not a treaty. It is a statement by Washington.
Under the title, “Governance”, the Charter covers the rules and procedures for the Board, the powers of the Chairman, and the Executive Board.
The Charter gives the Chairman unmatched authority over the selection of the Board members, decision-making procedures, and veto powers. He can remove the members of the Board, only subject to a veto by a two-thirds majority of Member States.
The Chairman shall at all times designate a successor for the role of Chairman. Replacement of the Chairman may occur only upon voluntary resignation or due to incapacity, as determined by a unanimous vote of the Executive Board.
Article 6 of the Charter states that the Board of Peace and its subsidiary entities shall have the legal capacity, among other things, “to acquire and dispose of immovable and movable property”. Given the Trump administration’s real estate professionals in prominent positions, the opening of a BoP headquarters in Washington would not be a surprise.
While the UN Security Council, through Resolution 2803 (2025), gave the Board of Peace a two-year mandate to oversee postwar management in Gaza, the BoP charter makes no mention of Gaza, Palestine, or the Middle East. Asked about the BoP’s agenda, a US official told reporters that the Board’s first focus will be Gaza.
According to the Times of Israel, a draft resolution, laying out the powers of various bodies tasked with managing postwar Gaza under President Trump’s Board of Peace initiative appears to limit the significance of the “Gaza Executive Board” that had sparked worries in Israel with the inclusion of senior representatives from Qatar and Turkey (Ali Al Thawadi, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office for Strategic Affairs, and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan). That body, though not mentioned in the Charter, was previously understood to have a leading role in managing the demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza. The draft resolution, expected to be approved by Trump, says that it will serve in an advisory capacity to the Executive Board.[v]
For some, such wording about roles could be appealing. However, the fact is that this is President Trump’s BoP, and what really matters will be his choices. Israel and Türkiye are both members of the Board. Yet, they remain engaged in a war of words, if not more. At some point, the Chairman of the Board may also be tempted to resolve problems among the members.
Last week, UN Secretary-General Guterres, in remarks to the Security Council, reaffirmed the international rule of law, referring to the Pact for the Future, adopted by member states in 2024, which included a commitment to act in accordance with international law and fulfill obligations in good faith, said:
“But words are not being matched with action.
“Around the world, the rule of law is being replaced by the law of the jungle.
“We see flagrant violations of international law and brazen disregard for the UN Charter.
“From Gaza to Ukraine, and around the world, the rule of law is being treated as an à la carte menu.
“We see States flouting the rule of law with impunity…
“That is why reform is essential.
“That is why we must act without delay to enhance the representation and effectiveness of this Council.”[vi]
Unfortunately, however, calls for reform have fallen on deaf ears for decades.
So far, according to reports, 27 countries, including Israel, have joined the BoP, with 20 more having expressed their intention to follow. France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, the UK, and Ukraine do not appear in a hurry to join. China and Russia are unlikely to accept the invitation. It seems that many middle powers have joined the BoP to avoid being excluded from new regional Trump initiatives and to have a channel of access to the Trump White House.
In brief, President Trump is determined to use the combination of US military power and his “peacemaking capacity” to advance US interests worldwide. Thus, some conflict of interest between the UN and the BoP appears inevitable.
[i] https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/white-house-press-release-president-donald-j-trumps-comprehensive-plan-end-the-gaza
[ii] https://docs.un.org/en/S/RES/2803(2025)
[iii] https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-withdraws-the-united-states-from-international-organizations-that-are-contrary-to-the-interests-of-the-united-states/
[iv] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/us/politics/trump-interview-power-morality.html
[v] https://www.timesofisrael.com/board-of-peace-proposal-appears-to-relegate-gaza-panel-with-turkey-qatar-to-advisory-role/
[vi] https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statements/2026-01-26/secretary-generals-remarks-the-security-council-reaffirming-the-international-rule-of-law
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