Washington is moving quickly to formalize a new postwar framework for Gaza. On February 19, the United States plans to convene the first working meeting of the Board of Peace, inviting representatives from 26 nations to raise funds and coordinate reconstruction efforts in the Strip. The meeting follows the Board’s founding ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos and is timed to overlap with Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington. While U.S. officials insist the Board’s mandate is limited to Gaza, its charter has already raised eyebrows for appearing to sidestep traditional UN structures.

Beneath the diplomatic language, however, the foundations remain shaky. Billions of dollars are needed, yet many nations remain skeptical that Hamas will ever truly disarm or that Israel will accept deeper withdrawals while terror infrastructure remains intact. A proposed technocratic body meant to govern Gaza has yet to even enter the enclave, and mediators continue to float gradual disarmament schemes that Jerusalem views as dangerously insufficient. The picture emerging is one of layered authority, international oversight, and unresolved power on the ground—an arrangement heavy on process, light on certainty.

SOURCE: Times of Israel