Board of Peace: A test for India’s prudence
It is a peace proposal that only one man could mull it over — the US President, Donald Trump. Trump’s latest peace offensive on Gaza— the Board of Peace — is as hilarious as it is flawed. It is a pay-and-play offer, as the members would pay one billion dollars to be on board, Trump would be the chairperson without an end date, and the best part is that it does not even mention Gaza, and the Palestinians, who are supposed to benefit from it, are conspicuous by their absence. And let us not forget the fact that it was the US which supported Israel all along when it was flattening Gaza — bombing hospitals and schools without mercy. Ostensibly, Board is a mechanism to stabilise and reconstruct post-ceasefire Gaza, but in effect it gives Trump overwhelming power to decide its affairs and gives his family a commercial real estate project. Few would dispute the urgency of relief, reconstruction and governance in a territory devastated by war. Several key regional players — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye and Qatar — along with Israel, have joined the board, making it broad-based. However, India, though invited, is yet to take a call.
India has been a long supporter of Palestine and has provided succour in West Asia, so naturally it would be difficult for it to ignore such an offer, but the problem is what happens after that. The proposal, on the face of it, is innocuous, but on a closer look it makes the intent of Trump and his team clear. The draft charter makes no specific reference to Gaza. Instead, it envisages a sweeping mandate to intervene in “areas affected or threatened by conflict”, coupled with language that pointedly disparages the United Nations. This is an alternative architecture of conflict management which bypasses the UN - and firmly settles Washington, and more specifically Trump himself, in the saddle. Trump would wield influence far beyond what even the United Nations Secretary-General enjoys. This should ring alarm bells in New Delhi. It is the beginning of a precedent where established institutions are bypassed and the US-led entourage becomes the new order keeper. It is Gaza now; it could be Kashmir next. Besides, the presence of Pakistan on the same board is yet another red flag for India. Hypothetically, Munir could tomorrow ask Trump to resolve the Kashmir issue, and Trump would be ready with a Kashmir Board! Then there is the issue of the board’s legitimacy. Palestine, which India has recognised since 1988 and supported across international fora, is not a full participant. Instead, it is offered a “technocratic panel” operating under the board’s supervision. For New Delhi, any peace framework that sidelines Palestinian political agency is at variance with its stated commitment to a two-state solution and international law. Then there is the price tag. The reported $1 billion fee for permanent membership gives the board a distinctly corporate, pay-to-play character. The prominence of financiers and real estate figures, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, reinforces fears that Gaza’s reconstruction could become a commercial venture rather than a rights-based humanitarian effort. Therefore, caution - not haste - should guide New Delhi’s decision.
