In a move that blends reality TV branding with high-stakes diplomacy, President Donald Trump has unveiled a "Gaza Board of Peace," tapping former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to steer the reconstruction of the war-torn enclave.

The seven-member board, chaired by Trump himself, is billed by the White House as the "Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled." Its mandate is to oversee the stabilization, governance, and rebuilding of Gaza—a task that has baffled the international community for decades.

The "Dream Team" or the "Old Guard"?

The appointment of Tony Blair is particularly polarizing. While experienced in the region as a former Quartet envoy, his legacy is forever tainted in the Arab world by the 2003 Iraq invasion. Pairing him with Marco Rubio, a staunch Israel hawk, and Jared Kushner, the architect of the Abraham Accords, sends a clear signal: this is a US-Israel-led initiative, with Palestinian input seemingly secondary.

• The Corporate Approach: The board includes Steve Witkoff (a property developer) and Ajay Banga (World Bank President). Trump appears to be treating Gaza’s reconstruction as a massive real estate development project, focusing on "investment attraction" and "capital mobilization."
• The Missing Voices: Critics point out the glaring absence of Palestinian representatives on the "founding executive board." Without local buy-in, the initiative risks being seen as an imposed trusteeship rather than a partnership.

Phase Two

Trump frames this as "Phase Two" of his peace plan. But peace cannot be built on concrete alone; it requires political horizons. Whether this board can deliver dignity along with the dollars remains the trillion-dollar question. For now, the people of Gaza are looking at a boardroom in Washington to decide their future.