Board of Peace formation could be a turning point for Palestinians

At a moment of unprecedented devastation and suffering in Gaza, the emergence of new international frameworks such as the Board of Peace offers a rare and much-needed opening for hope. After years of stalled negotiations, collapsing ceasefires and humanitarian responses that treated symptoms rather than causes, this initiative signals a growing understanding that managing conflict is no longer enough. What is required now is a serious political process grounded in rights, dignity and sustainable peace — and this is precisely where the Board of Peace can make a historic difference.

For Palestinians, especially in Gaza, peace is not an abstract diplomatic concept. It is the difference between survival and stability, displacement and belonging, despair and opportunity. The Board of Peace offers the possibility of shifting the international approach from crisis containment to conflict resolution, from temporary truces to lasting arrangements. That shift alone represents a fundamental change in how the world engages with Palestine.

One of the most promising aspects of the Board of Peace is its potential to move beyond traditional negotiation frameworks that have long failed to deliver tangible outcomes. Palestinians have endured decades of political processes that produced statements but not sovereignty, promises but not protection. This new mechanism, however, holds the potential to be more inclusive, more accountable and more closely aligned with international legitimacy and humanitarian principles. It opens space for a political track that treats Palestinian rights not as bargaining chips but as foundations for peace.

In Gaza, expectations are urgent and clear. First and foremost, the Board of Peace must help secure a permanent ceasefire and ensure full humanitarian access. This means opening crossings, enabling the large-scale entry of food, medicine, fuel and reconstruction materials, and ensuring that aid flows are not politicized or obstructed. For a population emerging from catastrophic devastation, this is not simply relief — it is the first step toward restoring dignity and normal life.

It has the potential to move beyond traditional negotiation frameworks that have long failed to deliver tangible outcomes

Hani Hazaimeh

But the promise of the Board of Peace extends far beyond emergency assistance. Its real value lies in linking reconstruction to political empowerment. Gaza not only needs buildings to be rebuilt, it needs its institutions restored, governance strengthened and economic life revived. A serious peace framework must therefore support genuine Palestinian self-rule, national unity and accountable governance structures capable of leading recovery and development. Without this political dimension, reconstruction risks becoming temporary relief rather than sustainable recovery.

What makes this moment especially important is the growing international recognition that Palestinians must not merely be protected but empowered. The Board of Peace offers a platform through which Palestinian voices can be central in shaping their own future — not sidelined, not spoken for, but actively involved. This is essential. No peace can endure if it is imposed from outside or negotiated without the consent and participation of the people most affected. A credible Board of Peace process must recognize Palestinians as political actors with legitimate rights to sovereignty, statehood and self-determination.

Equally critical is the board’s potential role in reinforcing international law. Sustainable peace cannot rest on power imbalances alone, it must be anchored in UN resolutions, humanitarian law and universal principles of justice. The Board of Peace can help translate these norms into enforceable political commitments — ensuring that ceasefires are respected, violations addressed and agreements implemented in good faith. This accountability component could be transformative in a conflict long marked by impunity and broken undertakings.

The regional dimension of this initiative is no less significant. Stability in Gaza is inseparable from broader stability in the Middle East. Continued devastation fuels radicalization, weakens regional security and undermines prospects for cooperation and development. By addressing Gaza’s crisis through a comprehensive humanitarian and political framework, the Board of Peace can contribute not only to Palestinian recovery but to wider regional calm. This is not charity — it is enlightened regional and international interest.

If this initiative succeeds in delivering tangible results, it could revive belief in negotiated solutions and multilateral action

Hani Hazaimeh

Expectations from this move are therefore both substantial and realistic. Palestinians are not asking for utopias or grand symbolic projects. They are asking for safety, dignity, education, livelihoods and freedom — the same aspirations shared by every society. They want their children in classrooms instead of shelters, hospitals treating patients instead of casualties, homes that shelter families instead of becoming rubble. The Board of Peace offers a chance to translate these basic human needs into political commitments backed by international resolve.

Perhaps most importantly, the Board of Peace has the potential to restore faith in diplomacy itself. Years of failed negotiations have bred cynicism not only among Palestinians but across the region and beyond. If this initiative succeeds in delivering tangible results — a sustained ceasefire, meaningful humanitarian access, reconstruction, political inclusion and a credible path toward Palestinian statehood — it could revive belief in negotiated solutions and multilateral action.

Gaza does not need slogans or cosmetic reconstruction schemes. It needs a political horizon. The Board of Peace, if backed seriously and protected from sabotage or delay, can help provide that horizon — one rooted not in illusion but in rights, not in charity but in justice, not in temporary calm but in lasting peace.

This is why the moment matters. The Board of Peace is not simply another diplomatic mechanism; it is an opportunity to redefine international engagement with Palestine — to move from managing suffering to ending it, from containing conflict to resolving it, from speaking about peace to building it. The responsibility now lies with regional actors, international powers and global institutions to ensure this effort does not fail — because failure would not merely postpone peace but deepen despair.

• Hani Hazaimeh is a senior editor based in Amman. X: @hanihazaimeh