Board of Peace set to hand Trump sweeping powers over Gaza

By ADAM RASGON and NATAN ODENHEIMER

President Donald Trump would have sweeping powers over the future governance of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and the well-being of its people, under a plan drafted by the new international group he leads, laying out how it would operate.

The group, the Board of Peace, met for the first time in Davos, Switzerland, last week, as member states including Azerbaijan and Qatar, signed its founding charter, which calls for securing “enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”

Much about the Board of Peace has so far been unclear, but a draft resolution, a copy of which was obtained by the Times, would allow the chair, Trump, to nominate senior officials who will help administer Gaza, and assign responsibilities.

Those officials include a “high representative” for Gaza, tasked with overseeing a Palestinian body administering the enclave, and the commander of an international stabilization force, which is intended to help provide security. Trump would also have the power to approve resolutions and suspend them in urgent cases.

The resolution is dated Jan. 22 — last Thursday — and has not been signed by Trump, which would bring it into force, according to three officials who were briefed on the resolution and verified the authenticity of the obtained copy. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, adding that the resolution was currently under discussion.

It was not clear whether the draft was the final text of the resolution.