When President Trump unveiled the Board of Peace, it was framed as a historic innovation: a bold new mechanism to stabilize Gaza and, more broadly, to reimagine how the international community manages conflict. The rhetoric was sweeping, even grandiose. But once the initial announcements gave way to scrutiny, a substantial gap emerged between the Board’s ambition and its political viability. That gap—more than any single diplomatic snub—now defines the Board’s predicament.

At issue is not a lack of goodwill or insufficient urgency around Gaza. Rather, the problem is structural. The Board’s design, scope, and governance diverge sharply from the mandate provided by UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which authorized a Gaza-specific, UN-anchored, and time-limited stabilization mechanism linked to a credible political horizon. Instead, the Board of Peace was introduced as a quasi-permanent institution, chaired for life, funded through high entry fees, and endowed—at least rhetorically—with ambitions extending well beyond Gaza. Notably, the word “Gaza” does not appear in the Board’s charter at all.

These choices were not lost on the international community. Nor were they merely inferred. Trump himself publicly suggested that the Board might one day replace or supersede the United Nations, and he repeatedly floated roles for the Board beyond the Gaza context. For many governments, this raised unavoidable questions about institutional overlap, mandate creep, and the erosion of existing international frameworks. The result has been hesitation where unity was expected—and absence where legitimacy was required.

Europe’s Structural Rejection

Nowhere is this clearer than in Europe. The absence of Western European states from the Board is not a diplomatic oversight or a matter of timing. It reflects a structural rejection rooted in institutional discipline and political memory.

France and the United Kingdom, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, regard the UNSC as the cornerstone of the post-war........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)