Trump Ebullient at Board of Peace Meet, As Peace Is Threatened
Feb. 20—President Donald Trump, as is typical of him, hailed his own efforts to create a new era of peace in southwest Asia, as his Board of Peace, intended to supervise the next phases of the Trump Peace Plan for Gaza, met for the first time in Washington, D.C. yesterday. But as the largest military buildup since World War II sits poised for a possible strike on Iran in the days or weeks ahead, several sources have said emphatically that such a strike will take with the Gaza Peace plan and unleash a regionwide war that could kill millions.
Meanwhile, in Gaza itself, the question of the disarmament of Hamas still lacks a firm plan or agreement. Trump has said, and repeated again yesterday, that nothing moves forward with development until Gaza is de‑militarized. But sources say that discussions with the mediators—Egypt, Qatar and Turkey—have yielded what is called an "outline" for a plan, which will be discussed with the Hamas leadership. This was confirmed yesterday by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board’s High Representative for Gaza, who said a weapons decommissioning framework has been “fully agreed [to]” with mediators. The sources say that work will indeed move forward on several other fronts while the details are worked out, and that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has assured Hamas leaders and others that this is the case.
Netanyahu’s Calculations but Iran Deal in Works
Meanwhile, the Butcher of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, who did not attend yesterday's meeting, sits and waits for Trump to fail on all fronts, to launch the war on Iran, which will force the Iranians to order Hamas and Hezbollah to retaliate, and then to unleash the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), not just to "assist" Trump in striking Iran, but in going for the "final solution" against both Hamas and Hezbollah, the killing Palestinians escalates, satisfying Bibi's blood lust.
Trump is fully aware of the risk and knows that Netanyahu wants him to fail. A source close to the White House says that despite what is being reported about an imminent strike on Iran, as a second carrier battlegroup reaches the proposed war zone, Trump will listen to both Witkoff, who came back from Geneva to tell Trump that he believes we will have a deal after Iran makes its response in 10 days, as well as from Trump's Arab allies and Turkey, who warn that an Iran strike means all bets are off in Gaza, and the ground lost might never be reclaimed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran sought and was granted the two weeks to prepare a detailed proposal based on the principles agreed on at the brief meeting in Geneva this week. He says the two sides reached understandings that can now form the basis for further discussions.
According to reports after the Geneva round, Iran is ready to freeze enrichment for three years, transfer what it has to a third country (probably Russia, which has said it's willing to take the uranium), and, it seems after Araghchi's meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, agree to return to the agreement signed in Egypt with the IAEA governing the work of UN inspectors in Iran.
Araghchi appeared this morning on the "Morning Joe" with Joe Scarborough on MSNBC. Scarborough grilled Araghchi for more details on how the talks with the Trump delegation, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, about the nuclear program had gone and whether Iran would ever respond to the “maximalist position of permanent suspension” demanded by the U.S.
“Well, I think the speculations that you just made are not true. We are now working with each other,” the minister replied.
“Which one?” Scarborough asked.
“Both of them,” Araghchi said. “We have not offered any suspension, and the U.S. side has not asked for zero enrichment.”
The host, stunned, pressed him on what was being asked of Iran. Araghchi replied: “What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran’s nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever and in return and, you know, Iran, you know, does some confidence-building measures to ensure that its program would remain peaceful and in return, sanctions.”
The minister denied that there was an “ultimatum” from the U.S. on Iran’s counteroffer, despite reports of a two-week deadline, but insisted that a “fast” and a “win-win deal” was what both parties wanted.
“We are doing our job,” he continued. “I hope that those who are seeking war and want to drag the United States into an unnecessary and disastrous war once again, I hope they won’t prevail and let us diplomats work with each other and find the diplomatic solution, which I believe is at our reach and can be achieved in a very short period of time.”
The Gaza Reconstruction Blueprint
"You can say it is all a big ego trip," said another source after yesterday's Board meeting. "But it is quite impressive what he has done," saying that Trump had leaders and representatives from nearly 40 nations at yesterday's meeting." Trump announced he has pledges of $7 billion toward reconstruction, to go along with his pledge of $10 billion. Sources say he will need as much as another $150 billion.
A video opening the meeting outlined a 20‑point blueprint to rebuild Gaza, with plans to reconstruct Rafah within three years, sharply cut unemployment, and link the Strip to the global economy by means of a regional corridor (the “Abrahamic gateway”). Within ten years, the video said, Gaza would be self‑governed and economically integrated, with “thriving industries” and housing for its residents. It also promised a new education curriculum promoting “tolerance, dignity, and peace.” All of this hinges on Gaza’s full disarmament under “one authority, one law, and one weapon,” according to the video.
U.S. Special Operations Command’s Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers outlined the plan for an International Stabilization Force (ISF). The force will be organized into five sectors, each anchored by a brigade, and will begin its operations in Rafah. Over time, the mission is expected to field roughly 20,000 ISF troops alongside 12,000 Palestinian police officers. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania pledged personnel, with Indonesia’s military set to serve as deputy to the U.S. command. Egypt and Jordan will oversee the training of the Palestinian police force.
Ali Shaath, head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), discussed the Board’s priorities for early‑stage policing and reconstruction. Five thousand Palestinian police officers will be trained and deployed within 60 days, Shaath said, as part of the new civilian administration.
Hamas Divisions and Regional Pressures
At least one faction inside Hamas has distanced itself from what is being discussed, saying it falls far short of what is necessary. They have used the Drop Site platform to make their points. But it is known that there are other "leaders" in Hamas who have remained quiet, not wanting to give Bibi ammunition for his war drive. These leaders have been speaking quietly to the mediators and through them to Witkoff. These leaders understand something: Hamas cannot pretend to speak for the best interests of the Palestinian people in Gaza, as the actions of their leader, Bibi's co‑evil twin, the late Yahya Sinwar, and his cohorts by launching the insane massacre of October 7, 2023 gave Netanyahu the excuse he needed to kill more than 100,000 people, mostly women and children, and injure and wound another almost 200,000 and counting, which has achieved nothing for the Palestinian cause. They also have to answer why for years they took money from Bibi and Israel to fight and serve as roadblock against the Palestinian Authority and the fight for a Palestinian state. What control Hamas has over Gaza is by default—and at the point of a gun, even now.
As for the Iranians, the civilian government knows it must make a deal. And to pretend that they are not influenced by the great Armada sitting offshore would be silly. The mullahs must also realize that after brutally repressing the last insurrectionary phase of the riots, killing many more than the alleged instigators and Israeli agents, it is not clear that the people will rally to the regime if the Americans attack. The simple truth is the Iranian people don't give a damn about nuclear weapons and enrichment. They want nuclear power because they lack sufficient electricity. But most of all, they want a better life, and that means an end to the killer sanctions.
"The regime in Tehran would be wise to recognize what the people want and get it through a deal, as quickly as possible," a source with more than 50 years' experience in the region. "Regardless of how precise an air strike might be, the likelihood is that they will set the country back more than several decades. That's what Bibi wants—bomb the Persians back to the Stone Age. It is not what Trump wants and he has said so. So, we are all in need of some restraint here. Take your fingers away from the trigger and get a deal done. Then you can talk of realizing those grand ideas and plans Trump spoke of yesterday at his Board's meeting."
FIFA Partnership and Next Steps
Trump said yesterday that the world soccer agency, FIFA, will bring “the greatest stars in the world” to Gaza as part of a newly announced partnership with the Board of Peace. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is reportedly committing $75 million toward stadium construction, training academies, and dozens of new football pitches.
Trump also thanked Infantino for the peace prize that FIFA awarded to him. “I got screwed by Norway, and they said ‘Let’s give him a peace prize.’”
Meanwhile, the date and the venue for the next round of talks with Iran is expected to be announced soon.