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Tuesday, September 15, 2026
[Salon] The Board of Peace: an unprecedented, unconstitutional and illegal subversion of US and international law - ArabDigest.org Guest Post
[Salon] The Board of Peace: an unprecedented, unconstitutional and illegal subversion of US and international law - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
The Board of Peace: an unprecedented, unconstitutional and illegal subversion of US and international law
Summary: it has been nearly a year since the Gaza ‘ceasefire’ and the announcement of a 20 point peace plan to be carried out by an entity called the Board of Peace which to date has implemented very little of its mandate and is fundamentally illegal under both US and international law.
In a comprehensive legal analysis delivered during a 30 July 2026 conference streamed by the Arab Center Washington DC, Professor Susan M. Akram, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Arab Center and Clinical Professor of Law at Boston University, offered a scathing critique of the “Board of Peace” for Gaza. Drawing on her extensive background as Director of BU Law’s International Human Rights Clinic, Professor Akram meticulously dismantled the legal claims surrounding the entity, demonstrating why it stands as an unconstitutional, unprecedented, and fundamentally illegal construct designed to sidestep international law and domestic oversight.
Professor Akram emphasised that the Board of Peace possesses zero legitimate standing under international public law, standing entirely distinct from recognised international structures. The Board is not a UN subsidiary body, as it was not created by a United Nations Security Council resolution under Chapter VII or Chapter VI, nor was it authorised by the UN General Assembly. It operates completely outside the UN system and lacks any UN charter mandate. Furthermore, it is not an intergovernmental organisation established by an international treaty among sovereign states. It has no founding treaty ratified by state legislatures, meaning it lacks international legal personality, privileges, immunities, or formal diplomatic recognition under international law. Because it is neither a multilateral UN organ nor a treaty-created body, Akram highlights that the Board of Peace operates essentially as a private or ad-hoc political construct stripped of sovereign legitimacy.
The political and operational structure of the Board centres around Donald Trump, raising severe constitutional and statutory alarms within the United States. Akram detailed how the architecture of the Board represents an attempt by the executive branch to sidestep both Congressional oversight and UN multilateral frameworks. By creating a foreign policy and governance mechanism outside established diplomatic channels, the executive avoids the need for Senate treaty approval, Congressional appropriations control, or UN Security Council consensus.
As foreign actors propose private mechanisms to manage post-war Gaza, legal experts emphasize that true reconstruction requires upholding binding ICJ rulings and the Palestinian right to self-determination.
One of the most glaring legal and constitutional violations Akram highlighted is the proposal to assign active-duty US military officers to serve under or report to this non-governmental, private entity. Under the US Constitution and Federal statutory law, including the Posse Comitatus Act and Title 10 of the US Code, US military personnel cannot be placed under the command authority of an unconstitutional, non-state private body without explicit statutory authorisation from Congress, as doing so subverts the constitutional chain of command. Moreover, the Board’s funding mechanisms bypass standard government accounting and Congressional appropriation processes, known as the Power of the Purse. Operating on private, foreign, or off-the-books financing, it creates a massive black box free from statutory auditing, Foreign Assistance Act restrictions or public accountability.
This off-the-books structure creates alarming vulnerabilities regarding foreign leverage. Because the Board relies on discretionary financial contributions and private arrangements with foreign entities, including Gulf actors and private commercial interests, it exposes US foreign policy to unprecedented conflicts of interest and external manipulation. Without Congressional ethics rules, public disclosure requirements or anti-corruption oversight, the Board opens the door for foreign states to buy influence over governance decisions in Gaza and US military assets.
A particularly problematic aspect of the Board of Peace is the inclusion of Israel as a key decision-making participant, especially given that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the subject of an active arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Professor Akram explained that integrating a government whose leadership faces ICC arrest warrants into a governing body over the very population subject to those alleged atrocities flouts international criminal justice. Furthermore, states parties to the Rome Statute are under a strict legal obligation to execute ICC arrest warrants. Cooperating with or sitting on a governing board alongside an individual subject to an ICC warrant directly undermines the enforcement duties of international criminal law and aids in shielding individuals from accountability.
For Palestinians and the residents of Gaza, the Board of Peace represents a complete denial of their fundamental rights under international law. International law guarantees the Palestinian people the inalienable right to self-determination and sovereign governance over their territory, meaning that imposing an external, non-representative, unconstitutional board over Gaza without the consent of the Palestinian people violates peremptory norms, or jus cogens, of international law.
This construct also directly contradicts key international rulings. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has repeatedly affirmed the illegality of the occupation and the requirement that Israel cease its unlawful presence in occupied Palestinian territory. The ICJ also issued binding provisional measures ordering the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid and the prevention of genocidal acts. By institutionalising external control and treating Gaza as a territory to be managed by a private board rather than ending the illegal occupation, the Board directly defies the ICJ’s rulings and advisory opinions.
Since the Board of Peace is not a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation or a recognised sovereign entity, it does not possess sovereign immunity or international organisational immunity, such as that granted under the US International Organisations Immunities Act or the UN Convention on Privileges and Immunities. Professor Akram pointed out that this lack of legal status leaves the Board and its individual members acutely exposed to legal action.
As it operates as a private entity, the Board and its officers can be sued in domestic courts worldwide for torts, human rights violations, complicity in war crimes, or breaches of contract. US military officers or officials participating in the Board’s activities cannot claim official state immunity or military immunity if they are acting on behalf of an unauthorised, non-governmental entity. They face potential civil liability under the Alien Tort Statute, the Torture Victim Protection Act, or universal jurisdiction laws in foreign domestic courts.
In her concluding assessment, Professor Akram underscored that the Board of Peace is fundamentally illegal at both the domestic and international levels. Domestically, it violates the US Constitution by bypassing Congressional authority over treaties, military command and foreign commerce, while unlawfully assigning military personnel to a private body. Internationally, it lacks any basis in the UN Charter, flouts binding ICJ rulings, undermines the ICC's criminal jurisdiction, and tramples upon the peremptory right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Far from a viable framework for governance or reconstruction, the Board of Peace stands as an unconstitutional and legally void attempt to replace international law with unbridled executive and private power.
More than 1300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by the IDF since the 10 October 2025 ‘ceasefire’. The IDF has shrunk the yellow line that the ceasefire was supposed to uphold, with Israel now controlling more than 60% of the Strip, leaving 2 million people trapped in a constantly shrinking and nearly unlivable space.
Members can leave comments about this newsletter on the Arab Digest website.
Pope Leo’s first book published today, from years 2001-2013
Pope Leo’s first book published today, from years 2001-2013
https://aleteia.org/2026/09/15/pope-leos-first-book-published-today/
Are you actively rejecting God's plan for creation?
Are you actively rejecting God's plan for creation?
https://aleteia.org/2026/09/15/are-you-actively-rejecting-gods-plan-for-creation/
(172) Andrei Martyanov: “Never Trust Europe Again” — Russia's Turn To BRICS Is Permanent - YouTube
(172) Andrei Martyanov: “Never Trust Europe Again” — Russia's Turn To BRICS Is Permanent - YouTube
There Will Never Be Trust Again — Russia’s Permanent Break With Europe
In conversation with Andrei Martyanov
Ian Proud
Sep 15
Andrei Martyanov joined me for a blunt conversation after the BRICS summit: why Moscow says trust with Europe is finished, why the turn east is already a fact, and why he sees no recovery for Germany or NATO as currently constituted. Andrei is sceptical about the prospects for a normalisation of relations with Europe after the Ukraine war ends.
He quotes Sergei Lavrov — “there will never be trust again” — and argues that Russian society now views Europe with contempt, not envy. Some business may resume after the war ends at world prices. But privileged relations will not.
In this discussion we cover:
• War tourism in Ukraine, the Boris Johnson train episode, and Western virtue-signalling
• Why Andrei says Europe’s elites are driven by fear, Russophobia and ideology — not strategy
• AfD, Merz and the illusion that a “normal” German policy toward Russia is coming
• Germany’s energy shock, collapsing industry, and why he thinks the damage is beyond repair
• BRICS as an economic bloc: BRICS Pay, Iran, SCO, and a communiqué that barely mentioned Ukraine
• Bessent, Siluanov and why Moscow assumes the West will cheat anyway
• Europe’s lack of military capability, nuclear reality, and the idea that elites cannot hide in bunkers
• Lavrov’s verdict: no trust, no privileged partnership, Russia’s turn to the east is permanent
• India, energy density, and why he says civilization is energy
• Russia’s mixed economy, Rostec and why Western MBA forecasts keep failing
• How he thinks the war ends militarily — Sloviansk–Kramatorsk, then open ground — and why NATO, not Ukraine, is the strategic issue
Monday, September 14, 2026
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Saudi Output Drops to Zero - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
Saudi Output Drops to Zero - micheletkearney@gmail.com - Gmail
https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/saudi-output-drops-to-zero/
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Friday, September 11, 2026
Oil Prices Could Be Headed Even Higher as US Emergency Reserve Falls to 1980s Low — Market Strategist Say - Benzinga
Oil Prices Could Be Headed Even Higher as US Emergency Reserve Falls to 1980s Low — Market Strategist Say - Benzinga
https://www.benzinga.com/markets/commodities/26/09/61713894/oil-prices-could-be-headed-even-higher-as-us-emergency-reserve-falls-to-1980s-low-market-strategist-says-200-oil-risk-is-growing?amp;utm_campaign=partner_feed&utm_medium=referral
Saudi Oil Production Collapses – This Is How The War Screws Everyone | Armstrong Economics
Saudi Oil Production Collapses – This Is How The War Screws Everyone | Armstrong Economics
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/sovereign-debt-crisis/saudi-oil-production-collapses-this-is-how-the-war-screws-everyone/?awt_a=1JPVU&awt_l=1yd7E&awt_m=92pU8_jAry4vxrVU
The US Is Not Our Friend. China Is Not Our Enemy - Part Two | Scoop News
The US Is Not Our Friend. China Is Not Our Enemy - Part Two | Scoop News
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2609/S00018/the-us-is-not-our-friend-china-is-not-our-enemy-part-two.htm
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Vance says Turkey, Saudis, UAE and others “privately helping” US on Iran but “not willing to say so publicly”
Business news | data | Eastern Europe | Eurasia | Middle East | Africa
https://new.intellinews.com/articles/vance-says-turkey-saudis-uae-and-others-privately-helping-us-on-iran-but-not-willing-to-say-so-publicly-466433
Vance says Turkey, Saudis, UAE and others “privately helping” US on Iran but “not willing to say so publicly”
Azerbaijan and Qatar also among emerging, unacknowledged alignment designed to squeeze Iranian economy, adds vice president.
Impunity in the West Bank - The New York Times
Impunity in the West Bank - The New York Times
Impunity in the West Bank
Former Israeli military officers warn that settler violence in the West Bank is destroying Israel’s democratic values from within.
Cardinal Burke: Today’s sexual immorality resembles Sodom and Gomorrah – Sign of the Cross Media
Cardinal Burke: Today’s sexual immorality resembles Sodom and Gomorrah – Sign of the Cross Media
https://www.signofthecrossmedia.com/news/cardinal-burke-todays-sexual-immorality-resembles-sodom-and-gomorrah/
Fr. Bob's Reflection for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Guest Post
A successful restaurant owner with no religious affiliation once said to a priest, “Father, I hate to say this, but some of the most unethical people I meet are churchgoing Christians.”
The priest replied, “Unfortunately, there are bad Christians, just as there are good ones.”
The owner responded, “But Father, aren’t Christians supposed to be different?”
The priest looked at her sadly and answered, “Yes. Yes, they are.”
That conversation raises an important question: What should distinguish the lives of Christians from everyone else?
Today's Scripture offers a clear answer. As followers of Jesus, we are called not only to do what is right ourselves, but also to help one another live according to the Gospel. Christian love is not passive. It cares enough to speak the truth with charity.
Consider a mother who returns home from the grocery store and discovers that her young daughter has slipped a candy bar into her pocket without paying for it. What should she do?
This scenario actually happened. A newspaper columnist told the story of a mother who immediately took her daughter back to the store, had her return the candy bar and apologize. Surprisingly, the store manager dismissed it as no big deal. But the mother knew better. She wanted her daughter to understand that stealing is wrong, no matter how small the item.
Or imagine overhearing your son's friend say, “If you need the answers to tomorrow's math test, give me a signal.” Would you ignore the comment, or would you say something?
Author Jerome Weidman experienced a similar situation as a third-grade student in a New York City public school. He and 11 classmates all turned in the same unusual and incorrect answer on a test. Rather than accuse anyone, their teacher, Mrs. O'Neill, asked the boys to remain after class. Then she quietly wrote these words on the chalkboard:
"The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out."
Years later, Weidman reflected, “I don't know about the other 11 boys, but speaking for myself, it was the most important single lesson of my life.”
Both the mother in the grocery store and Mrs. O'Neill understood something essential about Christian responsibility. They loved enough to correct the wrongdoing. They refused to remain silent when someone was heading down the wrong path.
That is precisely what Jesus teaches in today's Gospel: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault when the two of you are alone.” His words are not an invitation to judge or condemn, but to care enough to help another person choose what is right.
Someone once wrote, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to remain silent.”
The Christians in these stories chose not to remain silent. Instead, they acted with courage, compassion and love. My friends, we must do the same. When we lovingly guide one another toward what is good and true, we become the kind of Christians the world expects us to be – and the kind of disciples Christ calls us to be.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert Warren, S.A.
Spiritual Director
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Is clean water a constitutional right? US appeals court issues ruling | abc10.com
Is clean water a constitutional right? US appeals court issues ruling | abc10.com
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/nation-world/clean-water-constitutional-right-us-ruling-mississippi/507-bb63c517-3039-466e-a5c5-a209074fbb5c
Is cloud seeding the answer to Utah’s water problems? | Opinion – Deseret News
Is cloud seeding the answer to Utah’s water problems? | Opinion – Deseret News
https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2026/09/05/is-cloud-seeding-the-answer-to-utahs-water-problems/
Nevada warns new Colorado River rules could slash Las Vegas water supplies by 71%
Nevada warns new Colorado River rules could slash Las Vegas water supplies by 71%
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/nevada-water-use-lawsuit-colorado-river/
Colorado River cuts could force 'unprecedented' low water use for Arizona, new study finds
Colorado River cuts could force 'unprecedented' low water use for Arizona, new study finds
https://www.industrialinfo.com/news/article/could-colorado-river-cuts-leave-nevada-projects-high-and-dry--362114
Colorado River cuts could force 'unprecedented' low water use for Arizona, new study finds
Colorado River cuts could force 'unprecedented' low water use for Arizona, new study finds
https://www.kjzz.org/science/2026-09-08/colorado-river-cuts-could-force-unprecedented-low-water-use-for-arizona-new-study-finds
CENTER SQUARE: Feds spare Upper Basin; states still feel water cuts pressure ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK | California Water News Central
CENTER SQUARE: Feds spare Upper Basin; states still feel water cuts pressure ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK | California Water News Central
https://mavensnotebook.com/2026/09/05/center-square-feds-spare-upper-basin-states-still-feel-water-cuts-pressure/
Navajo Nation Council names confluence of Colorado River a sacred site under tribal law
Navajo Nation Council names confluence of Colorado River a sacred site under tribal law
https://www.kjzz.org/tribal-natural-resources/2026-09-04/navajo-nation-council-names-confluence-of-colorado-river-a-sacred-site-under-tribal-law
Tribes along the Colorado River are still fighting for their rights
Tribes along the Colorado River are still fighting for their rights
https://knpr.org/2026-09-07/tribes-along-the-colorado-river-are-still-fighting-for-their-rights
America is losing its war against wildfire | Grist
America is losing its war against wildfire | Grist
https://grist.org/extreme-weather/america-is-losing-its-war-against-wildfire/
UC BERKELEY: New digital tool shows where exactly California’s water goes — and how climate change might disrupt it ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK | California Water News Central
UC BERKELEY: New digital tool shows where exactly California’s water goes — and how climate change might disrupt it ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK | California Water News Central
https://mavensnotebook.com/2026/09/05/uc-berkeley-new-digital-tool-shows-where-exactly-californias-water-goes-and-how-climate-change-might-disrupt-it/
YALE CLIMATE CONNECTIONS: The next water crisis is beneath our feet ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK | California Water News Central
YALE CLIMATE CONNECTIONS: The next water crisis is beneath our feet ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK | California Water News Central
https://mavensnotebook.com/2026/09/08/yale-climate-connections-the-next-water-crisis-is-beneath-our-feet/
Monday, September 7, 2026
“Will the Good of the Other” BISHOP BARRON’S SUNDAY SERMON
Sunday Sermon
Friends, for the wokeist philosophy that dominates today, empathy—feeling the feelings of the other and not harming those feelings—is treated as a supreme value. But while empathy is perfectly good and decent, the Bible teaches that love, not empathy, is the supreme value. And love does not mean, primarily, feeling the feelings of the other or not hurting those feelings; it means willing the good of the other—and that can be, as Dostoevsky said, “a harsh and dreadful thing.”
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