What is Pakistan getting into with Trump’s Gaza ‘Peace Council’?

KARACHI:

Pakistan’s decision to join the US-led, Gaza-linked “Peace Council” has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and religious groups, who say the government signed without gaining the trust of Parliament or the public.

The Foreign Ministry said Pakistan accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the board, describing it as part of efforts to support a Gaza peace plan under the UN Security Council, and reaffirming Islamabad’s position on a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, reconstruction and the path to an independent Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the board membership document in Davos during the World Economic Forum.

But the move became politically controversial as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reportedly accepted an invitation to join the same forum.

What is the Council?

The “Peace Council” is a transitional administration established to oversee Gaza and implement the “Comprehensive Plan” intended to end the conflict in the region. Chaired for life by Donald Trump, the organization holds centralized transitional legislative, executive and judicial authority, with a mandate to ensure that Gaza becomes a “deradicalized and demilitarized zone” that “poses no threat to its neighbors,” according to the document.

According to the document, membership in the Peace Council is free and “contributions are voluntary.”

The Council’s governance structure includes a Board of Directors, which is authorized to issue resolutions, establish subcommittees and grant delegations necessary to implement the “Comprehensive Plan.” The Executive Council may “promulgate new law, or amend or repeal” previous civil and criminal laws in Gaza, subject to the approval, direction and control of the President.

It also includes a high representative for Gaza, who has the authority to issue immediate orders and directives, manage reconstruction and oversee the administration of justice and humanitarian aid.

A “controlled, technocratic and apolitical committee, composed of competent and qualified Palestinians” will sit on the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), responsible for ensuring civil service and administration, although it will remain under the direct supervision of the High Representative. Although presented as a local governing body, the role of the NCAG is limited to implementation, with real authority resting with the Peace Council and the High Representative.

The ISF will initially be led by the United States to carry out its mission under the plan, alongside provisions for humanitarian zones and controlled civil protection corridors patrolled by the force. The ISF will be under the direction of the Force Commander (FC), US Major General Jasper Jeffer, who exercises “operational authority” over the ISF.

The President has the power to approve and replace the FC at will.

The document includes a clause stating that “no one will be forced to leave Gaza” and that those who leave will be free to return. The document adds that resources, aid and political participation in Gaza depend on compliance with the “Comprehensive Plan.”

The three-tier governance structure allows Trump to be the sole power to sign existing resolutions, approve military movements of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), and designate individuals to key positions within the apparatus.

Pakistan has no representative on the Gaza Executive Council.

For the full document, see here:

“Peace in the face of killers is an illusion”

During a debate in the National Assembly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman condemned the decision and questioned how Pakistan could join a forum including Netanyahu.

Read: Government sells entry to Gaza board as diplomacy

“The same forces that created the problem are now judging,” he said. “Expecting peace from Trump was like living in a fool’s paradise.”

Fazlur Rehman also pointed out that the direction of the board was worrying, saying that disarming Hamas would mean dismantling the Palestinian resistance. He urged Parliament to reject the council in its current form and called for a formal resolution against it.

The JUI-F leader said that associating hopes for peace and a better future for the Palestinians with a Trump-led board would be “deceiving ourselves,” while citing Palestinian suffering and losses in Gaza.

Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also rejected Pakistan’s participation, saying such an important foreign policy decision was taken without consulting Parliament, the cabinet or the public.

Learn more: JI rejects Pakistan’s role in Trump’s ‘Peace Council’

He described the initiative as “a new form of colonialism” and said Pakistani armed forces should not be sent to Gaza “under any circumstances”.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have demanded that the terms and conditions of participation be made public and Parliament taken into confidence, with PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan questioning whether Pakistan could play a role linked to Hamas.

The PTI also formally rejected the decision, arguing that measures of such international importance should be taken transparently and through broad political consultation.

Moreover, in an interview on NDTV with the Israeli Ambassador to India, when Ambassador Reuven Azar was asked if he would agree with Pakistan’s involvement in the stabilization force, Reuven replied no.

Commitment avoids isolation

Despite Pakistan’s membership in the “Peace Council” and concerns from some political parties, government ministers defended the move as a diplomatic overture rather than a change in principle.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan’s participation was limited to efforts aimed at peace in Palestine and insisted that Islamabad had not recognized Israel. He also argued that Pakistan’s involvement alongside other Muslim countries strengthened Gaza-related peace efforts.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan should participate so that it would not be “inconsequential” in any decisions that might follow, adding that its presence would allow Islamabad to raise the voice of the Palestinians.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also dismissed reports that Pakistan would join the Stabilization Force to disarm Hamas.