Trump invited the Pope to the ‘Board of peace’

Trump’s proposed Board of Peace is an international body chaired by the president to oversee the governance and reconstruction of Gaza. The only problem is, according to Trump, the Board of Peace will be focused on successfully executing Donald Trump’s 20-step plan for rebuilding Gaza – a plan that has been heavily criticized for taking power out of the hands of Palestinians. A positive sign is that the plan orders Israel to withdraw from the West Bank, and the plan envisions a Palestinian-controlled West Bank at the road’s end. Trump’s plan has angered pro-Israel Zionists and drawn criticism from pro-Palestinian activists. The Pope’s possible inclusion on the board may not satisfy either group, but it may legitimize the board to a degree.

Where critics lay into the plan is related to the newly formed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). NCAG is a board of Palestinian non-partisan technocrats who are supposed to run Gaza for the transition period outlined in Trump’s plan. Critics argue that handing over Gaza to a group of technocrats for a period of time will threaten Gaza’s ability to become self-governing after the transition period. By taking Gaza out of the hands of Palestinians for a brief period, it opens the door to civil unrest and the possibility of mismanaging the nation.

Its chair, the “chief commissioner” of NCAG, Ali Shaath, reassured Palestinians in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos that NCAG will rebuild a capable Gaza. Shaath insisted that the plan would turn Palestine into a centre for peace, freedom and opportunity. What wasn’t mentioned in Davos was Trump’s highly criticized international stabilization force (ISF). Creating the ISF has come with a litany of problems. None of the countries in the Arab and Islamic world that agreed to provide troops wanted their soldiers to confront Hamas over its weaponry. Additionally, Israel declared it would not accept Turkish or Qatari forces, while other potential troop contributors insisted that Turkey and Qatar were involved. With the details of the ISF seemingly in chaos, Trump and Shaath refrained from mentioning it.

The 20-step plan details a series of actions that must be completed by both Israel and Hamas. Both sides must finish releasing any hostages or remains being held, and Israel will be made to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners who were detained after October 7, 2023. The plan details that Hamas must relinquish any weaponry that it has, something that the organization has already said it’s unwilling to do. Once those pieces of the agreement are met, immediate aid will be released across Gaza and the West Bank. Israel will also be made to pull its troops out of Palestine.

According to the agreement, Israel will not be able to occupy or annex Gaza and the West Bank, letting them exist as a sovereign nation. The plan details that it will create a dialogue between Israel and Palestine and ensure that both nations will have a peaceful and prosperous coexistence. The final goal of the plan is to ensure a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, accomplishing the long-time goal of Palestinians. While the details of the plan seem to be rectifying a longstanding violent apartheid system and ending a conflict that dozens of humanitarian organizations have deemed a genocide committed by Israel, the plan relies on either the ISF or NCAG to operate in good faith.

According to a Vatican spokesperson, Pope Leo is seriously weighing the odds of joining the board. The leader of the Vatican very rarely joins international or diplomatic boards. With France and Norway already declining the invitation and Italy seemingly on the fence, the Pope realizes he is in a different situation than most nations. The Vatican secretary of state commented on this and tensions amongst the U.S. and other Western nations, claiming that the important thing to do is respect international law. Given the delicate situation, the Pope will not rush into a decision, with the Vatican trying to find a way to be as diplomatic as possible.