Palestinian academics have raised concerns about Donald Trump's peace board for Gaza, warning it could stifle the strip's identity in favour of international rule similar to the old British Mandate in the region.
The Board of Peace is hailed by the US as a cornerstone of Mr Trump's peace plan, overseeing Gaza's reconstruction and supporting an interim Palestinian government.
But far from being perceived as a neutral provider of stability, the board is regarded by some Palestinians as a means of control over Gaza that echoes the foreign guardianship of the past.
Imad Omar, an academic and political researcher, sees the council's purpose as not to resolve the conflict but to “cool it down” while managing Gaza through security arrangements detached from any wider political settlement.
The presence of figures such as Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and former British prime minister Tony Blair, he believes, indicates a direction of economics and security rather than protecting Palestinian rights.
“The structure of the council recalls the British Mandate over Palestine," Mr Omar told The National, referring to Britain's rule over the region from 1920 to 1948. In such a scenario, Gaza would become an administrative issue rather than a national territory with political aspirations.
He fears that what is unfolding is a western and Israeli plan to rule Gaza under international cover. By steering Gaza towards being a separate administrative area run by foreign powers, he believes, the plan could make permanent the separation between Gaza and the West Bank – which would suit Israel's objectives.
Led by Mr Trump, the board is part of the US leader's 20-point peace plan for Gaza, and is responsible for overseeing the second phase of a fragile ceasefire. Plans for phase two include disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza from the ashes of Israel's two-year war.
The White House said the board would "play an essential role in fulfilling all 20 points of the President’s plan, providing strategic oversight, mobilising international resources, and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development".
An executive board includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Blair. Also starting work is a committee of Palestinian technocrats handed interim charge of Gaza's day-to-day affairs.
Mustafa Ibrahim, a Palestinian writer and political analyst, said the plan brought memories of rule by a High Commissioner during the Mandate period, which ended with the foundation of Israel in 1948. Mr Trump's board has Nickolay Mladenov as a High Representative.
In Mr Ibrahim's view, the Board of Peace is a way of reshaping occupation rather than ending it.
The council, he argues, cloaks itself in the language of international legitimacy while removing Palestinian sovereignty, transforming Gaza into an administrative–security zone devoid of genuine national representation.
Wissam Afifa, a Palestinian writer and lecturer in Gaza universities, echoed these concerns, describing the White House announcement as "the return of a mandate, this time in American form.”
Gaza, he said, has passed through several rulers, from the British Mandate to Egyptian administration, Israeli occupation, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Now, he said, it is at risk of entering a new phase of direct American guardianship.
For Mr Afifa, this new formula threatens not only Gaza but the entire Palestinian national project, particularly given the involvement of figures perceived as close to the Israeli right. He fears the plan reflects broader ambitions of regional control under the banners of stability and reconstruction.
