The “Board of Peace” is giving colonial mandate with a billion-dollar cover charge
Trump just made himself Chairman of the Board of Gaza. And no, that’s not a metaphor.
The “Board of Peace” – his words, not mine – is an international oversight body that will supervise Gaza’s new government. Trump chairs it. The members? Jared Kushner. Tony Blair. Steve Witkoff. The CEO of Apollo Global Management. It reads like a guest list for a party you’d want to leave immediately.
Here’s how it works. Gaza gets a “technocratic government” – 15 Palestinian professionals who’ll handle utilities, schools, trash pickup. The boring stuff. They report to Trump’s Board of Peace. Which reports to nobody.
Bloomberg got their hands on the draft charter. Trump serves as inaugural chairman. He decides who gets invited. Member states can vote on decisions, but all votes are subject to the chairman’s approval. So. Democracy theater with a veto.
Countries that want a permanent seat have to pay a billion dollars. That’s not a typo. One billion. Into a fund. The draft suggests Trump himself would control the money. Which – and I cannot stress this enough – would be “unacceptable to most countries who could have potentially joined the board.” Their words, not mine.
Don’t pay the billion? Your seat is subject to three-year term limits. Renewable by the chairman. Who is Trump.
But wait, there’s more. The charter gives the chairman power to designate his own successor “at all times.” So Trump picks who comes after Trump. Forever. It’s like if a homeowners association had nuclear weapons and a messiah complex.
Here’s my favorite part. The draft charter for the Board of Peace for Gaza? Doesn’t mention Gaza. The thing ostensibly being governed by this board is not in the founding document. Critics think he’s building an alternative to the United Nations. Which – yeah. Obviously.
The technocratic committee held its first meeting in Cairo this past week. Their chairman, Ali Shaath, got held up at an Israeli checkpoint for six hours on his way there. His first day. Six hours. Israel is also blocking the committee from hiring any civil servants – whether they’re linked to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. So they have 15 people and no staff. Very efficient governance structure you’ve built there.
China called the arrangement “vague and unclear.” Russia said it’s “reminiscent of colonial practices.” When Russia is calling you colonial, you might want to take a moment.
Several nations are already working collectively to push back against the charter. The White House called Bloomberg’s reporting “misleading” but notably did not deny any of the specifics. Classic.
A former Blair aide put it plainly: “The only qualification for joining the Gaza ‘peace board’ is to have a strong track record of endorsing and arming Israel’s project of genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.”
Trump’s announcement said these Palestinian leaders are “unwaveringly committed to a PEACEFUL future.” All caps his, not mine. The same post warned Hamas to surrender “ALL weapons” and dismantle “EVERY tunnel” or face consequences. The guy chairing this neutral international peace board cannot maintain the pretense of neutrality for one social media post.
This is what international trusteeship looks like in 2026. An American president chairs a board. His son-in-law sits on it. Countries pay a billion dollars for permanent seats. Trump controls the money. Trump approves all decisions. Trump picks his own successor. Palestinians get to run the water treatment plants. Under supervision. With permission. If they behave.
The UN trusteeship system fell out of use because it had colonial connotations. This one just dropped the pretense and added a cover charge.
Cool. Great. Love it here.
SOURCES
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/16/trump-names-tony-blair-jared-kushner-to-gaza-board-of-peace
https://www.newarab.com/news/palestinian-board-meet-egypt-gaza-trump-threatens-hamas
https://fortune.com/2026/01/17/trump-nations-1-billion-membership-payment-peace-board-united-nations
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5694508-trump-board-peace-gaza-membership-fee