NEW YORK, January 27. /TASS/. The Board of Peace has developed a plan granting US President Donald Trump virtually unlimited powers to govern the Gaza Strip, The New York Times reported, citing a draft resolution dated January 22 obtained by the newspaper.
According to the document, Trump, as the board’s chairman, would be able to appoint senior officials to administer the enclave, including a high representative and the commander of international peacekeeping forces. The draft also grants the president the authority to approve or suspend any resolutions under emergency conditions. "The Board of Peace will coordinate the reconstruction of Gaza, an immense project that is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars and take years, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid there," the newspaper noted.
The daily said that in November the UN Security Council granted the Board of Peace an appropriate mandate. However, US allies such as France, the UK, and Spain refused to join the body, criticizing it for operating outside the UN framework and excluding Palestine from the peace process.
The draft resolution also establishes strict criteria for participation in the region’s reconstruction, stipulating that individuals and organizations with a record of cooperation or ties with Hamas will be barred from taking part in the administration of the Gaza Strip. The day-to-day activities of Palestinian technocrats in the enclave are expected to be overseen by former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, who has been appointed high representative by the White House.
On January 22, representatives of 19 countries signed the charter establishing the Board of Peace for Gaza during a ceremony held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to Trump, additional countries have since joined the initiative. While the Board was created to govern the enclave, its mandate is expected to extend to conflicts in other parts of the world as well.