Trump’s “Board of Peace” Is Part of a Sordid Anti-Palestinian History
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Trump’s “Board of Peace” Is Part of a Sordid Anti-Palestinian History
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World
/ February 11, 2026
Trump’s “Board of Peace” Is Part of a Sordid Anti-Palestinian History
The refusal of those who have held power over Palestine to acknowledge the grievances and aspirations of its indigenous Arab people isn’t new.
James Zogby
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Donald Trump at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22, 2026.
(Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images)
When President Donald Trump convened his so-called Board of Peace in Davos, Switzerland, a key item on the agenda was to endorse his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s extravagant (and, I might add, detached from reality) plan for a “New Gaza.” The rendering of Kushner’s scheme shows it to be more of a luxury resort for wealthy tourists than the foundation of a just future for the Palestinian victims of Israel’s genocide. But since the raison d’être of the Board of Peace was supposed to be dealing with the aftermath of Israel’s war on Gaza, the conversation, by necessity, had to address the needs of hundreds of thousands of now-homeless Palestinians.
Thus, Kushner presented a proposal for a model Palestinian community—the “New Rafah”—he intends to build to house Palestinians in Gaza. The plans for this New Rafah have been circulated since the meeting. Everything is covered: how Gaza’s economy will run, how its educational and health systems will create a new generation of hale and non-ideological Palestinians, and how the “new cities” will be laid out, function, and be governed. And everything has been calculated down to how many teachers, doctors, judges, religious leaders, and laborers will be needed per capita in each community.
If Kushner were preparing an owner’s manual for a complex piece of machinery or the instructions for installing and operating new software, this plan might seem flawless. But Palestine isn’t a video game, and Palestinians are human beings, not Lego pieces to be assembled, as per the instructions. Like every other people on earth, Palestinians have emotional ties to their homes and families, and memories of the personal and collective injustices they have endured. This failure to consider the fullness of Palestinian humanity is the fatal flaw that will either stop the New Rafah before it begins or cause it to unravel soon afterward.
The refusal of those who have held power over Palestine to acknowledge the grievances and aspirations of its indigenous Arab people isn’t new. In fact, it has defined their history.
For example, in 1919, when the British Lord Balfour was presented with the findings of the US-commissioned survey of Arab …
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.
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Trump’s “Board of Peace” Is Part of a Sordid Anti-Palestinian History
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Current Issue
World
/ February 11, 2026
Trump’s “Board of Peace” Is Part of a Sordid Anti-Palestinian History
The refusal of those who have held power over Palestine to acknowledge the grievances and aspirations of its indigenous Arab people isn’t new.
James Zogby
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
Donald Trump at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22, 2026.
(Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images)
When President Donald Trump convened his so-called Board of Peace in Davos, Switzerland, a key item on the agenda was to endorse his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s extravagant (and, I might add, detached from reality) plan for a “New Gaza.” The rendering of Kushner’s scheme shows it to be more of a luxury resort for wealthy tourists than the foundation of a just future for the Palestinian victims of Israel’s genocide. But since the raison d’être of the Board of Peace was supposed to be dealing with the aftermath of Israel’s war on Gaza, the conversation, by necessity, had to address the needs of hundreds of thousands of now-homeless Palestinians.
Thus, Kushner presented a proposal for a model Palestinian community—the “New Rafah”—he intends to build to house Palestinians in Gaza. The plans for this New Rafah have been circulated since the meeting. Everything is covered: how Gaza’s economy will run, how its educational and health systems will create a new generation of hale and non-ideological Palestinians, and how the “new cities” will be laid out, function, and be governed. And everything has been calculated down to how many teachers, doctors, judges, religious leaders, and laborers will be needed per capita in each community.
If Kushner were preparing an owner’s manual for a complex piece of machinery or the instructions for installing and operating new software, this plan might seem flawless. But Palestine isn’t a video game, and Palestinians are human beings, not Lego pieces to be assembled, as per the instructions. Like every other people on earth, Palestinians have emotional ties to their homes and families, and memories of the personal and collective injustices they have endured. This failure to consider the fullness of Palestinian humanity is the fatal flaw that will either stop the New Rafah before it begins or cause it to unravel soon afterward.
The refusal of those who have held power over Palestine to acknowledge the grievances and aspirations of its indigenous Arab people isn’t new. In fact, it has defined their history.
For example, in 1919, when the British Lord Balfour was presented with the findings of the US-commissioned survey of Arab …
Trump’s “Board of Peace” Is Part of a Sordid Anti-Palestinian History
This isn't complicated—it's willpower.
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Trump’s “Board of Peace” Is Part of a Sordid Anti-Palestinian History
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Current Issue
World
/ February 11, 2026
Trump’s “Board of Peace” Is Part of a Sordid Anti-Palestinian History
The refusal of those who have held power over Palestine to acknowledge the grievances and aspirations of its indigenous Arab people isn’t new.
James Zogby
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Donald Trump at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22, 2026.
(Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images)
When President Donald Trump convened his so-called Board of Peace in Davos, Switzerland, a key item on the agenda was to endorse his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s extravagant (and, I might add, detached from reality) plan for a “New Gaza.” The rendering of Kushner’s scheme shows it to be more of a luxury resort for wealthy tourists than the foundation of a just future for the Palestinian victims of Israel’s genocide. But since the raison d’être of the Board of Peace was supposed to be dealing with the aftermath of Israel’s war on Gaza, the conversation, by necessity, had to address the needs of hundreds of thousands of now-homeless Palestinians.
Thus, Kushner presented a proposal for a model Palestinian community—the “New Rafah”—he intends to build to house Palestinians in Gaza. The plans for this New Rafah have been circulated since the meeting. Everything is covered: how Gaza’s economy will run, how its educational and health systems will create a new generation of hale and non-ideological Palestinians, and how the “new cities” will be laid out, function, and be governed. And everything has been calculated down to how many teachers, doctors, judges, religious leaders, and laborers will be needed per capita in each community.
If Kushner were preparing an owner’s manual for a complex piece of machinery or the instructions for installing and operating new software, this plan might seem flawless. But Palestine isn’t a video game, and Palestinians are human beings, not Lego pieces to be assembled, as per the instructions. Like every other people on earth, Palestinians have emotional ties to their homes and families, and memories of the personal and collective injustices they have endured. This failure to consider the fullness of Palestinian humanity is the fatal flaw that will either stop the New Rafah before it begins or cause it to unravel soon afterward.
The refusal of those who have held power over Palestine to acknowledge the grievances and aspirations of its indigenous Arab people isn’t new. In fact, it has defined their history.
For example, in 1919, when the British Lord Balfour was presented with the findings of the US-commissioned survey of Arab …
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