THE inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s controversial Board of Peace convened last week amid much fanfare and boastful declarations by the US president. The most telling aspect of the meeting was the absence on the board of Palestinians, depriving them of any say in decisions about their future.

For all Trump’s claims that the meeting marked a step towards peace in Gaza, it raised more questions than answers about how his plan will be operationalised, when in the first phase, Israel has violated the ceasefire with impunity.

Significant in Trump’s rambling speech were his threats to Hamas, without whose buy-in the peace plan cannot work, and to Iran, who he said will face military action if it didn’t reach an agreement with the US. He declared the war in Gaza was over despite daily Israeli military strikes that continue to claim Palestinian lives.

Israeli military actions have killed over 600 Palestinians since the ceasefire came into force in October. Days before the Washington meeting, Israel threatened to resume the war if Hamas did not comply with its 60-day ultimatum for it to disarm.

The participation in the BoP meeting by many countries, including Pakistan, (with the noticeable absence of almost all Western European countries) did nothing to obscure the Board’s lack of legitimacy. The absence of Palestinian representatives but with Israel, who committed genocide, a board member, exposed the lack of even-handedness. One party to the conflict has been denied a role in shaping Gaza’s future while the other party’s presence assures its ability to influence the process and protect its interests.

This makes the peace effort a one-sided affair. Any doubts on that........

© Dawn