Reconstruction Without Palestinian Leadership Risks Turning Aid into Recolonization
(Washington, D.C., February 19, 2026) – In response to the meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" in Washington to announce $5 billion in reconstruction pledges for Gaza and discuss implementation of Phase 2 of the ceasefire, all while Israel continues to block the Trump-approved Palestinian technocratic committee from entering Gaza, DAWN issues the following statement:
"World leaders are gathered in Washington today to decide the future of Gaza with minimal Palestinian participation," said Raed Jarrar, Advocacy Director at DAWN. "Reconstruction must be Palestinian-led, by and for Palestinians. Palestine is not an investment project for billionaires to profit from. Any plan that sidelines Palestinians is not reconstruction. It is recolonization."
"Before discussing reconstruction, the U.S. should do the bare minimum and make Israel follow the ceasefire agreement by stopping the killing, withdrawing from Gaza, and allowing the full opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions," said Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, Israel-Palestine Director at DAWN. "The U.S. has the leverage to demand all of this but just like the Biden administration it is proving unwilling."
Background
Israel has killed more than 600 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, including more than 108 children. Israel has expanded its buffer zone to cover roughly 58% of Gaza although the agreement requires it to withdraw to the Red Line during Phase 2. Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing remains largely closed to two-way movement as the agreement requires. The Palestinian governance committee remains in Cairo and has not entered Gaza. The Board of Peace's own High Representative stated on February 13, 2026 that sending the committee in now would only embarrass it. Israel revoked the registrations of 37 humanitarian organizations on January 1, which face a March 1, 2026 deadline to cease all operations. The $5 billion pledged today is a fraction of the $70 billion the UN estimates reconstruction will cost.
