The recent statement by Nikolay Mladenov, the High Representative of the so-called “Board of Peace,” should not go unquestioned or unnoticed. In an interview with an Israeli news outlet, Mladenov declared that destroying Gaza’s tunnels, which form part of the Palestinian resistance’s military infrastructure, could take up to ten years. Brazenly, and without a hint of irony, he handed the Israeli occupation army a green-light to remain in Gaza for an entire decade. If this is not entrenchment of the occupation, if this is not active complicity with the Israeli vision of indefinite military control over Gaza, then what is it?

This statement, covered in the neutral language of “technical assessment,” is nothing less than a political endorsement of Israel’s expansionist agenda. It signals to the world—and more importantly, to the Palestinian people—that the Board of Peace under the US administration control is not a neutral entity. It is, in reality, a continuation of the infamous legacy of US administrations that have long shielded Israel from accountability while imposing their own terms on the Palestinians. The Board of Peace is not here to deliver justice; it is here to manage the occupation, to lend it an air of legitimacy, and to ensure that Israeli parameters and arrangements are adopted as the baseline for any future “settlement.”

The Board of Peace: A one-sided arbiter

The Board of Peace is not an arbiter; it is a pressure cooker aimed solely at the Palestinians. Since the ceasefire agreement was signed, Israel has killed over 1,200 Palestinians in Gaza. Not a single word of condemnation has been directed at Israel by such Board. Not a single resolution has been passed to hold it accountable. The Board of Peace, eager to maintain its “balanced”........

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