What is Pakistan getting into with Trump’s ‘Peace Board’ in Gaza?

KARACHI:

Pakistan’s decision to join the US-led, Gaza-linked “Peace Board” has drawn harsh criticism from opposition parties and religious groups, who say the government signed up without trusting parliament or the public.

The Foreign Ministry said Pakistan accepted an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join the board, describing it as part of efforts to support a peace plan for Gaza under the UN Security Council and reaffirming Islamabad’s stance on a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, reconstruction and a path to an independent Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the document while joining the board in Davos during the World Economic Forum.

But the move has become politically controversial because Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reportedly accepted an invitation to join the same forum.

What is the Board?

The “Peace Board” is a transitional government administration established to oversee Gaza and implement the “Comprehensive Plan” aimed at ending the conflict in the region. Presided for life by Donald Trump, the organization holds centralized transitional legislative, executive and judicial authority, with the mandate to ensure that Gaza becomes a “deradicalized and demilitarized zone” that “does not represent a threat to its neighbors,” according to the document.

According to the document, membership in the Peace Board is free and “contributions are voluntary.”

The Board’s governance structure includes an Executive Board, which is authorized to issue resolutions, establish subcommittees, and make necessary delegations to carry out the “Comprehensive Plan.” The Executive Board may “promulgate new laws, modify or repeal” previous civil and criminal laws in Gaza, subject to the approval, direction and control of the President.

It also includes a High Representative for Gaza, who has the power to issue immediate orders and directives, manage reconstruction, and oversee the administration of justice and humanitarian aid.

A “vetted, technocratic and apolitical committee of competent and qualified Palestinians” will be in the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), charged with providing civil service and administration, although it will remain under the direct supervision of the High Representative. While presented as a local government body, the NCAG’s role is limited to implementation, with actual authority resting with the Peace Board and the High Representative.

Initially, the ISF will be led by the United States to carry out its mission according to the plan, along with provisions for humanitarian zones and controlled civil protection corridors patrolled by the force. The ISF will be under the direction of Force Commander (FC), Major General Jasper Jeffer of the United States, who has “operational authority” over the ISF.

The President has the authority to approve and replace the FC at will.

The document includes a clause that says “no one will be forced to leave Gaza” and that those who leave will be free to return. The document adds that resources, aid and political participation in Gaza are subject to compliance with the “Comprehensive Plan.”

The three-tier government structure allows Trump to be the only power that signs resolutions to put them into effect, approves military movements for the International Stabilization Force (ISF) and appoints people to key positions within the apparatus.

Pakistan does not have a representative on the Gaza Executive Board.

For the full document, see here:

‘The peace of murderers is a self-deception’

In a debate in the National Assembly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman condemned the decision and questioned how Pakistan could join a forum that included Netanyahu.

Read: Government sells entry to Gaza board as diplomacy

“The same forces that created the problem are now judging,” he said. “Waiting for peace from Trump was equivalent to living in a fool’s paradise.”

Fazlur Rehman also noted that the junta’s reported approach was worrying, saying that disarming Hamas would mean dismantling the Palestinian resistance. He urged parliament to reject the junta in its current form and called for a formal resolution against it.

The JUI-F chief said associating hopes for peace and a better future for Palestinians with a Trump-led junta would amount to “deceiving ourselves,” while citing Palestinian suffering and casualties in Gaza.

Jamaat-e-Islami emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also rejected Pakistan’s involvement, saying such an important foreign policy decision was taken without consulting parliament, cabinet or the public.

Read more: JI rejects Pakistan’s role in Trump’s ‘Peace Board’

He described the initiative as “a new form of colonialism” and said Pakistan’s armed forces should not be sent to Gaza “under any circumstances.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders demanded that the terms and conditions of participation be made public and that parliament be taken into confidence, and PTI chairman, lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, questioned whether Pakistan could be expected to play any role related to Hamas.

The PTI also issued a formal rejection of the decision, arguing that measures of such international importance must be taken transparently and through broad political consultations.

Furthermore, in an NDTV interview with Israel’s ambassador to India, when Ambassador Reuven Azar was asked if he would agree to Pakistan’s participation in the stabilization force, Reuven said no.

Commitment avoids isolation

Despite Pakistan joining the “Peace Board” and concerns from certain political parties, government ministers have defended the decision as a diplomatic opening rather than a change of principle.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan’s involvement was limited to efforts aimed at achieving peace in Palestine and insisted that Islamabad had not recognized Israel. He has also argued that Pakistan’s participation alongside other Muslim countries strengthened peace efforts linked to Gaza.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan should participate so that it is not “irrelevant” in decisions that may follow, adding that such a presence would allow Islamabad to raise its voice on behalf of the Palestinians.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also dismissed reports that Pakistan will join the Stabilization Force to disarm Hamas.