View from Italy: The UN's replacement 'Board of Peace'

 

By Manlio Dinucci (Grandangolo on Byoblu TV, Italy)

President Trump chaired the Board of Peace at the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace, a Washington building renamed by the President after himself. CNN summarizes what this body is: “The Board of Peace, indefinitely chaired by Trump, was originally conceived as a limited body tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.” 

However, its remit has since broadened to encompass conflict resolution worldwide, and the draft charter attached to the invitations to join does not mention Gaza at all. 

Trump's explicit goal is to establish the Board of Peace as an alternative to the UN. This is confirmed by his statement: “The Board of Peace will be responsible for overseeing the United Nations and ensuring that it functions properly.” 

As for Gaza, Trump already has a plan to transform it into a luxurious 'Middle East Riviera', which was presented in Davos by his son-in-law Jared Kushner. The first $17 billion officially allocated by the Board of Peace will therefore be used to rebuild Gaza — not for the benefit of the Palestinians, but for a project that would permanently deprive them of their land and statehood. This is confirmed by the fact that while Israel is represented on the Board of Peace by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, no Palestinians have been invited to join. 

Trump's support for Israel

This was confirmed by the White House, which officially documented Donald Trump's support for Israel as follows:

- President Trump appointed Governor Mike Huckabee, a staunch ally of Israel, as ambassador to Israel.

-  President Trump firmly supported the State of Israel throughout the war with Hamas, ensuring peace through strength not only in the Middle East, but worldwide.

-  President Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, making him the first world leader to be invited during Trump's second Presidential term.

- President Trump withdrew the US from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) due to its protection of human rights violators, and from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) due to its employees' involvement in Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. He also announced that the United States would withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) due to its continual demonstration of anti-Israel sentiments.

- President Trump took decisive action through Operation Midnight Hammer to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Eric Trump, son of the President, is involved in the business of Israeli killer drones used against Palestinians. Eric Trump has signed a $1.5 billion deal with the Israeli company Xtend, which manufactures low-cost killer drones. The Israeli army has already purchased 5,000 of these drones, which it deploys against Palestinians in Gaza. By merging with a US company co-owned by Eric Trump, Xtend can now also supply its drones to the Pentagon, as Trump's son has already secured a multi-million dollar contract with the US Department of Defense.

The baptism of the Board of Peace: the war against Iran

The peace that the Board of Peace is preparing for is evident in the fact that, at the very moment of its formation, President Trump and his associates are amassing substantial military forces – including naval, air and ground troops – in the Middle East, poised to attack Iran. Their strategic objectives are manifold. 

Iran, which has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has a civilian nuclear programme subject to UN controls but, like at least thirty other countries, [could] in future acquire a military nuclear programme. Israel, the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons (not subject to any international controls because Israel is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty), would in that case lose its military nuclear monopoly in the Middle East. 

Iran is also important to Washington because its oil reserves are the third largest in the world (after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia) and because, as a member of the BRICS, Iran is a key hub of Russia's North-South Corridor and China's New Silk Road.