With Gulf nations dodging missiles, Trump’s Board of Peace may be dead in the water

Talks aimed at advancing Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war have been put on hold following US/Israel attack on Iran that’s ignited a broader Middle East conflict. This is disastrous for Trump’s major foreign policy objective, which he’s championed as his flagship Middle East peace initiative, the ‘Board of Peace.’

The timing couldn’t be worse, coming less than a month after Trump secured billions of dollars in pledges for Gaza from Gulf Arab states. Now those same countries are dodging Iranian missile attacks as the conflict escalates, endangering those financial commitments. Zaha Hassan, from the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, nailed it by asking whether this is “really money well spent now that they are dodging rocket fire.” 

Trump’s Gaza plan has largely depended on Hamas militants laying down their arms in exchange for amnesty, a move meant to clear the path for reconstruction and Israeli military withdrawal. White House mediators have been working behind the scenes, trying to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas on this crucial disarmament question.

Note that this wasn’t officially reported

Three anonymous sources with direct knowledge of the sensitive talks confirmed the halt in disarmament discussions. A Palestinian official close to the mediation efforts mentioned that Hamas was actually supposed to meet with Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators on the day the war erupted, but that meeting was scrapped, with no new date set. 

One source from Trump’s Board of Peace mission, however, described the pause as a minor delay, mainly due to flight disruptions. They also believe that the wider war could actually speed up a resolution to the disarmament issue. The idea is that it might remove Iranian influence, which has historically been a major financial backer for Hamas. 

Thanks to the broader conflict, Israel’s military has eased its strikes on Gaza since the war started. ‘Eased’ being the keyword, which really made their inclusion in the Board highly suspect, as they have consistently broken ceasefires. Even now, as they bomb Iran and Lebanon, they have been hitting Gaza, citing ongoing Hamas threats. Health officials report that at least 16 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since February 28. 

Meanwhile, Hamas has been busy consolidating its control of Gaza since the war began. Sources close to the group indicate that Hamas fighters recently ambushed several Israeli-backed militia members in Gaza’s north and south.

Despite a rocky ceasefire, Trump’s plan for Gaza began promisingly. Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt was reopened, and new pledges for reconstruction were made. Now, things seem to be rolling back, and Indonesia, a key member of the Board, has threatened to withdraw. As an expert summed it up, “only sustained attention from the Trump administration can keep the plan on track, and the war with Iran has the potential to undermine exactly that.”