EVEN as India watched the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, the global governing body envisioned by United States President Mr. Donald Trump, as a neutral observer the members were asked to open their wallets for reconstruction of the Gaza strip. The modest contribution of USD 7 billion toward the Gaza relief package by nine members of the body as against the estimated USD 70 billion needed to rebuild the war-ravaged territory underscores the apprehension of the rest of the members in the practicability of the Board of Peace. It is a lofty dream and its success hinges only on material success of the peace deal between Israel and Hamas. At this moment, things have hardly moved in implementing the ceasefire deal brokered by the US and growing distrust between the two warring sides further puts a big question mark on the future of the ambitious global governing body. So far, 27 countries have agreed to become part of the Board of Peace while Europe has remained divided over the proposal by Mr. Trump. Countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany have refused to join the Board of Peace that came into being last month while India, China and many other nations have kept a safe distance from the governing body which, the world feels, is an attempt by Mr. Trump to supersede the United Nations.

 

With such a feeling of distrust over the US plans, the future of the Board of Peace can be anybody’s guess. At its inauguration last month, Mr. Trump had called for an aid of USD 1 billion from each member for a seat on the Board. However, only Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait have agreed to pledge USD 7 billion which is much less than the initial estimate by Mr. Trump. Other members of the Board have remained non-committal while some like the cash-strapped Pakistan are still figuring out ways to dodge the financial demand bullet. It is a divided house seeking normalcy in a province which remains split into two territories controlled by Israel and Hamas, respectively. The promises made by the US President to Israel and the residents of Gaza Strip are too exalted. The Board has yet to take any concrete action in Gaza.

 

War has paused since the ceasefire brokered in October 2025 by White House but things have not moved to the second phase of the ceasefire deal. The second phase plan includes the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza. However, there are no signs of the militant group laying down arms despite optimism and threats from Mr. Trump. In fact, the Gazans have been vocal about Hamas extending its control over the strip. It would be a daunting task to control the Palestinian group even for the Palestinian police force assisted by the International Stabilisation Force. None of the plans drafted by the Board of Peace would succeed if there is no progress on this issue. The ISF needs broad support from the Palestinians for reconstruction and governance in the enclave.

 

Without proper governance in place and broad-based agreement on a shared future among Israelis and Palestinians, there is little chance of the Board making any progress in Gaza. Director of the board’s executive body Bulgarian diplomat Mr. Nickolay Mladenov has also reminded the world that no country would actually put real money into rebuilding the Gaza Strip under current conditions. This is a stark truth that Mr. Trump will have to deal with without resorting to his maverick policies. There are simply too many issues hindering the path of the Board of Peace. Israel’s dislike for some members on the Board can become another hurdle in the future. The dreams are simply too lofty to achieve actual peace in the enclave. For India, the choice of staying neutral, merely as an observer, is the best foot forward at this moment.