Trump’s Gaza Board Threatens International Law | Palestine Policy Roundup 01.20.26
Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.
👀 ICYMI: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT
Rep. Delia Ramirez: "Trump is selling the future of Gaza and of the Palestinian people to the highest bidder. That is not peace and diplomacy. That is CORRUPTION. IMPERIALISM. THEFT. The future of Palestine must be led and directed by the Palestinian people.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “Israel is forcing Doctors Without Borders & dozens of other humanitarian groups to end their work in Gaza. Countless innocent people rely on these services amid the ongoing crisis there. This is yet another cruel, inhumane step from the extremist Israeli government.”
DC DEVELOPMENTS
⚡ TRUMP ANNOUNCES GAZA PLAN SHAKEUP
MOVING FORWARD: Last week, the Trump administration moved forward to the second phase of its plan for Gaza–which would cement Israel’s military occupation of half of the area and deny self-determination to Palestinians.
The technocratic committee of Palestinians tasked with restoring government services to Palestinians in Gaza was named last Wednesday. This group is tasked only with the resumption of day-to-day government services in Gaza, and it is appointed by and accountable only to the Trump-controlled Gaza board.
Palestinians are still shut out of the decision-making bodies under the Trump plan for Gaza, leaving the reconstruction of Gaza in the hands of a Trump-appointed foreign board of directors.
THE SHAKEUP: The Trump administration also announced a new tier in the governance structure under the umbrella of the corporate-style and Trump-led board originally slated to oversee the Trump plan for Gaza.
The governance of Gaza and the committee of Palestinian technocrats will now be overseen by two new boards: the Executive Board and a separate Gaza Executive Board.
The Executive Board is charged with carrying out not only the Trump plan for Gaza, but possibly other areas of conflict that the so-called Board of Peace inserts itself into as outlined in the below section. Each member of the founding Executive Board will be charged with a specific portfolio in Gaza–effectively putting its future directly into the hands of unelected, unaccountable foreigners.
Nickolay Mladenov, the previously named representative for the so-called Board of Peace in Gaza, will be a member of the Gaza Executive Board. This body is tasked with overseeing the work of the committee of technocratic Palestinians. Four of the aforementioned Executive Board’s members are also named as members of the Gaza Executive Board.
BLAIR IS BACK: Tony Blair, the former UK Prime Minister who backed President George W. Bush’s disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003, was named as a member of this new tier. This follows reporting last month that Blair was unlikely to be invited to be a member of the highest tier of the board overseeing the plan.
Other members of the new boards formed in the new tier under the umbrella of the so-called Board of Peace include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel, and others.
Other members and advisers of the Executive Board and the Gaza Executive Board hold concerning connections to Israeli advocacy groups in the US, the Trump administration’s plans to take over Gaza, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), and more.
MILITARIZING AID: The White House’s announcement also named Major General Jasper Jeffers as the commander of the multinational force to be deployed in Gaza, also known as the so-called “International Stabilization Force.”
The announcement specifically names the distribution of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza as a duty of the multinational force under Jeffers’ command. This raises renewed concern that the multinational force will militarize the distribution of aid like the Israeli military did under the GHF scheme.
The militarization of humanitarian aid violates the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence–just as Israel’s weaponization of food through the GHF did.
The naming of Jeffers as the commander of the multinational force should trigger Congressional oversight of the US military’s activities in Gaza, including the War Powers Resolution.
ANOTHER NAME: The dominance of US officials and Trump advisers on this Executive Board suggests that the US will be much more involved in overseeing the implementation of President Trump’s plan for Gaza than when it was originally announced.
The makeup of this Executive Board clearly evokes President Trump’s calls for a US occupation of Gaza–possibly carrying that call out in a backdoor manner.
The inclusion of Steve Witkoff–whose recent sketchy business dealings were the focus of a recent Congressional letter–and Jared Kushner–who has a serious conflict of interest in the implementation of the Trump plan as outlined in IMEU Policy Project’s policy memo on the subject–should raise concern that President Trump and his associates will seek to reconstruct Gaza for their own benefit rather than the benefit of Palestinians.
🌍 TRUMP’S GAZA BOARD GOES GLOBAL
UNDERMINING INTERNATIONAL LAW: The mandate of President Trump’s corporate-style board, which was originally slated to oversee the implementation of his plan for Gaza, has reportedly expanded to include a focus on conflicts around the world.
Last Sunday, the full text of the board’s charter was published by the Times of Israel. It appears to confirm reports of the board’s newfound global mandate.
The charter is clearly in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which provided a UN endorsement to the Trump administration’s original more limited Gaza plan.
The board’s apparent international scope could mean that President Trump will attempt to dictate the outcomes of other conflicts, including Ukraine–where his administration reportedly proposed the cession of territory to Russia–or Venezuela, where he recently ordered an illegal kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro for the explicit purpose of taking the country’s oil.
The charter also heightens concerns that the Trump administration intends to use the board to usurp and replace the United Nations. This could have catastrophic implications for the post-World War II international order and allow President Trump to personally exacerbate global polarization.
The charter does not make clear whether member states would be asked to provide troops to carry out its interventions in the conflicts in which it engages.
This charter is still at a proposal stage, and several invited member states are still reviewing it. But it exposes President Trump’s growing expansionist desires, which were originally articulated in reference to a US occupation of Gaza and have more recently grown to encompass Venezuela and Greenland as well.
👀 LOOKING AHEAD: President Trump reportedly plans to hold a signing ceremony for the board on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday.
GAZA AS A TEST CASE: As President Trump attempts to use the board to consolidate his personal power over the international order, it’s clear that he and his administration will use Palestinians in Gaza as guinea pigs to test their vision.
Just as he and other administration officials used Palestinians as bargaining chips to get the UN to go along with his plan for Gaza by threatening renewed Israeli genocidal violence there, President Trump may continue to threaten the lives of Palestinians to force the world to submit to his vision of a global order.
WHO’S IN: According to reporting by Bloomberg, at least 50 nations have been invited to join the board.
Several countries that have been accused of committing human rights violations and violations of international law have been invited to join the board, including Russia, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Israel, which committed the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza that originally prompted this board’s formation and whose Prime Minister is internationally wanted for his role in that genocide, was also invited.
According to the charter, nations that accept the invitation will have a three-year membership on the board. Nations can pay one billion dollars for a permanent seat on the board.
A WORLD IN TRUMP’S IMAGE: The charter grants significant powers to President Trump as chairman of the board. Most importantly, it names him as the chairman in his personal capacity–meaning that he could control the organization even after his presidency ends.
As chairman, President Trump would have unchecked veto power over the decisions of the board.
President Trump would also have full control of the board’s agenda, the renewal of the membership of non-permanent members of the board, and he would exclusively appoint officials to the Executive Board.
President Trump would also designate a hand-picked successor according to the charter–virtually guaranteeing that this board would continue to serve his expansionist agenda even after his chairmanship.
💸 EXPOSING THE ISRAEL WEAPONS BAIT AND SWITCH
GRAHAM’S GAMBIT: Last week, Senator Lindsey Graham amplified an interview in which Israeli Prime Minister and internationally wanted alleged war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu stated a desire to end US weapons deliveries within the next ten years.
But why would Graham, one of the Senate’s strongest supporters of Israel’s genocidal atrocities in Gaza, suddenly support ending the delivery of the weapons Israel uses to kill Palestinians?
THE REAL DEAL: This Graham-Netanyahu smokescreen would only switch the method used to give Israel billions of dollars in US-taxpayer money–it would not end the cash flow.
The Bottom Line: This bait and switch could actually increase the weapons to flow to Israel every year up to $6.2 billion. That would be a more than 60% increase in the weapons Israel receives today.
Today, the US gives Israel $3.8 billion of US taxpayer money to Israel every year to buy weapons, which are mostly made in the US.
This deal would change that to give Israel more money to co-develop and co-produce weapons with the US–providing additional taxpayer funding to develop Israeli weapons manufacturers.
US taxpayer money would directly fund Israel’s weapons industry, which would allow it to spend even more money on items like universal healthcare while Americans struggle with medical debt.
🏛️ WHAT CONGRESS CAN DO: Members of Congress should call out this bait and switch for what it is and speak out against the signing of another MOU with Israel. Congress should also exercise its oversight authority over weapons transfers and block any further funding for weapons deliveries to Israel or for its weapons industry.
📖 LEARN MORE: Check out IMEU Policy Project’s policy memo that explains in detail this bait and switch and why US taxpayers would still be footing Israel’s bill.
ALREADY ON THE HOOK: The Trump administration already appears to be deploying this bait and switch. According to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, a presentation by the US Army Corps of Engineers details possible US funding of the construction of an armored vehicle production facility estimated to cost $2 billion in US taxpayer funds.
While this deal is not yet confirmed, it serves as an example of what this new co-production model could look like. Instead of directly funding the delivery of tanks and other vehicles to Israel, the US is giving Israel the money to build its own factory to produce them.
This model would serve as a blank check for Israel’s subjugation of Palestinians and entrench US complicity beyond the Trump administration.
Among the vehicles that would be produced at this facility: the Israeli Merkava tank, which was likely used to kill Hind Rajab and her family.
IN THE NEWS
⚖️ MAHMOUD KHALIL CONTINUES FIRST AMENDMENT FIGHT
RULING OVERTURNED: A three-judge panel overturned the district court ruling that freed Mahmoud Khalil from ICE detention late last year in a split decision. This ruling is a step back in the fight against the Trump administration’s crackdown on speech and activism in support of Palestinian rights, but it is not the end of the fight.
The panel did not weigh in on the First Amendment arguments in Khalil’s case–that the Trump administration's targeting and incarceration of him was unconstitutional and constituted retaliation for his activism in support of Palestinian rights.
Instead, the panel’s ruling accepted the Trump administration’s argument that Khalil’s challenge to his detention would have to wait until a final order of removal is issued by an immigration court–effectively taking district courts out of the equation entirely.
Khalil cannot be re-detained by the Trump administration immediately–he has an opportunity to appeal this ruling before that can happen.
🏛️ WHAT CONGRESS CAN DO: Members of Congress should continue to speak out in support of Mahmoud Khalil and against the Trump administration’s crackdown on speech and activism in support of Palestinian rights.
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Mahmoud Khalil’s response to the ruling: “Today’s ruling is deeply disappointing, but it does not break our resolve. The door may have been opened for potential re-detainment down the line, but it has not closed our commitment to Palestine and to justice and accountability. I will continue to fight, through every legal avenue and with every ounce of determination, until my rights, and the rights of others like me, are fully protected.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: This ruling’s implications go much further than Khalil’s case, and it could facilitate the Trump administration’s racist mass deportation agenda. If allowed to stand, the ruling would effectively strip First Amendment protections from non-citizen students, workers, and activists who are being targeted for their activism and speech in support of Palestinian rights.
This ruling could also affect the cases of Mohsen Mahdawi and Rümeysa Öztürk, who were also freed from ICE detention through district court decisions.
The ruling also adds to the Trump administration's onslaught against the power of district courts to intervene against the unconstitutionality of its policies–especially as it relates to immigration and deportation.
Other habeas corpus petitions filed in district courts and related to constitutional protections could also be at risk of being overturned–such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s petition based on the constitutional right of due process.
PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS
❄️ ISRAEL BLOCKS AID, PALESTINIAN CHILDREN FREEZE
FROZEN TO DEATH: Last Saturday, Aisha Ayesh al-Agha, a 27-day-old Palestinian child, became the eighth child to die from hypothermia in Gaza this winter as storms lashed the area.
While no details were provided about Aisha or her family, it is extremely likely her family has been displaced from their home by the Israeli military and is living in a tent in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Nearly all Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced from their homes by Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza.
Nearly 800,000 Palestinians are estimated to be sheltering in flood prone areas and nearly one million need emergency shelter according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Maher Bassiouni, whose son Mohammed froze to death last Tuesday, recounted the death of his son to Drop Site News: “At 4 a.m., the wind and rain calmed a little and me and his mother slept a bit. I woke up at 6 a.m. and I found the boy dead. We belong to God and to him we shall return. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs. I have nothing more to tell you. He is one year old. Today is his birthday. January 13th is his birthday, the day he died.”
ISRAEL’S BLOCKADE: Israel’s continued obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza is fully responsible for the deaths of Aisha, Mohammed, and every Palestinian who is killed by exposure to the elements.
Israel has consistently blocked the entry of tents, winterization materials, and materials needed for the reconstruction of Gaza. This obstruction directly contributes to the exposure of Palestinians to the cold and rain by leaving them with inadequate shelter.
Since the first phase of the Trump plan for Gaza was agreed to in October, Israel has blocked more than 30,000 trucks of aid that were supposed to enter Gaza according to the agreement.
These deaths also come on the heels of Israel’s de-registration of international NGOs preventing them from operating in Gaza. NGOs warned that this move would endanger the lives of Palestinians who rely on them for shelter and other needs.
🏛️ WHAT CAN CONGRESS DO: Israel’s obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid is a clear violation of Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, which compels the cessation of delivery of US weapons to countries that block humanitarian assistance. Congress should exercise its oversight authority and block weapons transfers to Israel in order to comply with the law.
Photo: Evan El-Amin, via Shutterstock. Stock Photo ID: 1432764869
Photo: Valery Evlakhov, via Shutterstock. Stock Photo ID: 2603389759