Leaked Document.. Trump's Council for Gaza Management Seeks Comprehensive Legal Immunity and Free Access to Public Facilities

SadaNews - The British Guardian reported that a draft resolution it obtained reveals a controversial direction within the "Peace Council" announced by US President Donald Trump for the administration of the Gaza Strip. It grants itself, its members, its forces, and contractors working with it broad legal immunity, along with the authority to obtain public facilities and properties within the Strip for free, which has raised criticisms and legal warnings about a lack of accountability and the potential violation of Palestinian rights.

The draft, consisting of 4 pages and classified as "sensitive but not secret," according to the Guardian report, states that the council members, the Office of the High Representative, international forces, contractors, and employees involved in Gaza's reconstruction tasks are exempt from any legal proceedings, including arrest, detention, or prosecution before Gaza courts. It also grants the council's president, Donald Trump, the authority to lift immunity from anyone, provided that a majority of the executive council members agree.

The Majority of Council Members

The executive council includes 7 members, among them Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, Special Envoy Steve Whitehead, White House Chief of Staff Suzy Wiles, and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.

Despite several countries pledging billions of dollars to support Gaza's reconstruction, most of these pledges have not translated into actual funding, and the council has not yet awarded major contracts to implement its projects.

A Peace Council official denied the existence of any effective legal framework granting these immunities, asserting that what is stated in the document is "incorrect and misleading," and that the council will ensure all workers and contractors are subject to applicable laws and clear oversight and accountability mechanisms, without clarifying the nature of these mechanisms.

Wide-ranging Concerns

According to the newspaper, the council's High Representative, Bulgarian diplomat Nikolai Mladenov, is holding meetings in Cairo with Palestinian officials chosen by the council to participate in administering Gaza, aiming to complete the organizational framework for its work in the Strip, but the immunity draft has not yet been presented to them.

The draft has raised wide-ranging concerns among international law experts, as several see it as potentially opening the door for the council and its forces to be exempt from any accountability in case of incidents involving gunfire, deaths, or damage to civilians during reconstruction operations.

Humanitarian law expert attorney Emily Schaffer-Omer stated that the document appears to be a clear attempt to exempt the council and all its workers from responsibility for any potential legal violations, while international law professor Nora Erakat considered the draft to create a "special legal system" for itself, away from any external oversight or application of international law.

Free Offices and Locations

The draft also stipulates that "buildings and public facilities be provided for free" to the council and its offices and locations of its international forces to carry out its tasks in Gaza, which legal experts warned could allow for the seizure of Palestinian properties without the consent of their owners or compensation, in the absence of any legal agreement defining the council's powers or the status of international forces within the Strip.

According to contractors involved in the project, the council intends to establish a base for international forces and logistical centers, with these forces tasked with supporting the disarmament process of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), considering it a cornerstone of Trump's plan for managing the post-war phase.

Critics see the document as reflecting a trend that grants the council broad powers without a clear legal framework or independent oversight, while the legality of these actions remains murky, especially since the proposed resolution will come into effect upon the signing of the council's High Representative, without clarification on whether there will be other parties signing it or recognizing it.

Source: Guardian