Athena Rayburn, executive director of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), told the UN Security Council that US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace is failing to protect the basic rights of Palestinians in Gaza. She said its performance should be judged by civilian protection, ending Israel’s illegal presence and progress toward Palestinian self-determination.

AIDA represents more than 100 international relief and aid agencies working in the occupied Palestinian territory. Rayburn said the Board of Peace was formed under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which created an opportunity to reduce violence. However, she argued that the same arrangement has further entrenched Israel’s “illegal presence.”

Rayburn said Palestinians’ rights in Gaza have been subordinated to what she described as far-reaching, arbitrary and unilateral conditions imposed by the party controlling them. She said nearly two million people are trapped in Gaza and dependent on humanitarian aid for survival, while the entry and distribution of that aid are controlled and restricted by the state she blamed for creating the crisis and shortages. She said civilian protection and Palestinian self-determination should be the central goals of any international arrangement.