Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ held talks with DP World over Gaza reconstruction

{"text":[[{"start":9.05,"text":"Representatives for Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” have held discussions with DP World about managing supply chains and other infrastructure projects in Gaza, according to three people familiar with the matter."}],[{"start":21.450000000000003,"text":"The talks examined whether the state-owned Dubai multinational could enter into a partnership with the “Board of Peace” to run much of the logistics for humanitarian aid and other goods entering the devastated Palestinian enclave, including warehousing, tracking systems and security."}],[{"start":37.75,"text":"Other ideas floated included having the United Arab Emirates company, a big global player in container shipping and port terminals, build a new port in either Gaza or on the nearby Egyptian coast, as well as develop a free-trade zone in the war-shattered strip."}],[{"start":52.75,"text":"The discussions form part of longstanding proposals by US officials to privatise much of the Palestinian territory’s services and infrastructure as part of their highly ambitious but widely criticised plans for a “new Gaza”."}],[{"start":65.75,"text":"According to a draft proposal seen by the FT, the “vision” for the DP World venture would be to establish a “secure and traceable supply chain system” and “port-led economic ecosystem”, combined with other light industries and “employment-generating trade platforms”."}],[{"start":81.7,"text":"It was unclear whether officials working with the Board of Peace or DP World had drafted the document and how the discussions had concluded. One of the people familiar with the discussions said they began late last year."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":95.15,"text":"A spokesman for DP World said he was not aware of any talks. A spokesperson for the UAE’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment."}],[{"start":104.30000000000001,"text":"The Trump administration unveiled the “Board of Peace”, a body made up of dozens of heads of state, in January. It was set up with the initial goal of overseeing his plan to end the conflict and rebuild Gaza after much of the enclave was destroyed by Israel in the two years of war that followed Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack."}],[{"start":123.55000000000001,"text":"Officials working on the US plan envision raising tens of billions of dollars to transform the enclave into a futuristic hub replete with modern infrastructure and gleaming towers."}],[{"start":133.8,"text":"But in the months since a US-brokered ceasefire started in October, reconstruction is yet to begin and the humanitarian situation remains dire, with Israel continuing to impose restrictions on essential goods entering the strip."}],[{"start":149,"text":"“You can’t rebuild Gaza like in their vision with 1,500 trucks a week being moved back-to-back through Israeli crossings. You need bigger, more efficient and less bureaucratic entryways,” one of the people familiar with the matter said. “Right now it’s like working through a straw.”"}],[{"start":166.5,"text":"An official with the “Board of Peace” said the body was determined to increase the amount of goods and reconstruction services to Gaza and was “speaking to multiple potential partners across multiple lines of effort”."}],[{"start":178.8,"text":"“We are conducting . . . market research focused on how to identify best-in-class operators and next-gen solutions,” they added."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":185.9,"text":"DP World, which is controlled by the government of Dubai, has expanded rapidly and handles some 10 per cent of global trade daily across more than 80 countries, according to its own data. The company’s senior leadership changed after longtime chair Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem stepped down in February over his ties with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein."}],[{"start":209.6,"text":"The UAE established diplomatic ties with Israel under Trump’s Abraham Accords in 2020. Relations between the two states have proved resilient despite the regional conflicts that followed October 7, and the UAE remains arguably Israel’s most important partner in the Arab world."}],[{"start":227.2,"text":"DP World operations often align with the UAE’s foreign and economic policy objectives, including building a port in Somaliland, a de facto independent state that is only recognised internationally by Israel."}],[{"start":239.7,"text":"Movement towards the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza had stalled in recent months, said several people familiar with the matter."}],[{"start":246.85,"text":"The Palestinian enclave will need $71.4bn for reconstruction over the next decade, according to a joint report by the EU, UN and the World Bank released on Monday, with an estimated $23bn over the next 18 months."}],[{"start":263.4,"text":"But only slivers of the multibillion-dollar pledges made to the “Board of Peace” at a February summit in Washington by various governments have materialised, according to the people familiar with the matter, with global attention on Gaza decreasing during the US-Israeli war on Iran."}],[{"start":279.75,"text":"Talks to disarm Hamas, which still controls about half of the strip, had also hit an impasse, the people said. The US, Israel and other international officials have made any steps towards reconstruction in Gaza contingent on the Palestinian militant group agreeing a plan to lay down its arms."}],[{"start":298.4,"text":"Israel, whose forces remain in the other half of the strip, is for now “ignoring the issue” of future plans for Gaza being developed by the “Board of Peace”, including reconstruction and building a port, according to a second person familiar with the matter."}],[{"start":313.5,"text":"Yet US officials working on the “Board of Peace” have pushed ahead with their lofty ideas for Gaza, including various privatisation initiatives. According to several people familiar with the matter, discussions have been held in recent months with multiple American and Middle Eastern companies in fields including security, finance and technology. These have included plans to introduce a stablecoin for the devastated enclave. "}],[{"start":339.6,"text":"“They’re there for the contracts,” a third person familiar with the matter said of the companies. “It’s a lot of business coming through — if the money [for Gaza] actually comes through.”"}],[{"start":356.70000000000005,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1776754678_2526.mp3"}