The United States of America has announced the launch of the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, with its president, Donald Trump, unveiling a series of steps ostensibly meant to develop the bombed-out Palestinian territory and govern it. But it quickly became apparent that these moves have nothing to do with the interests of Palestinians, and are being opposed by Israel too. The announcement, made when terms of the first phase of the peace pact have not been met by either Israel or Hamas, undermines any genuine progress towards the end of a conflict that has claimed more than 70,000 Palestinian lives to Israel's brutalities. What the US declaration does do is make clear that Mr Trump views Gaza as the launching pad of a personal gratification project laced with money-making schemes. A technocratic committee of Palestinians has been announced to run the day-to-day affairs of Gaza without its membership being discussed publicly with the people of Gaza. That committee will report to a so-called Board of Peace headed by Mr Trump himself. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, are also on the Board.

The Board has a few other announced representatives but in addition, Mr Trump has invited several other world leaders — Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi — to join what will effectively be Gaza's governing body. It is hard to imagine a more strategically challenging position than the one on that Board for a country like India. Joining it would immediately alienate India from a bulk of its West Asian partners and their populations. Worse, Mr Trump appears to view the Board as the stepping stone to his own personal United Nations: he has repeatedly insisted that the UN is redundant. If India were to sign onto Mr Trump's Board, it would be complicit in his efforts to steamroll international law and the rules-based order that New Delhi itself touts as a pillar of its foreign policy. Seats on the Board are for sale: a permanent spot can be bought for $1 billion. The future of the Board, after Mr Trump's term ends, is also unclear. It is best for India to politely find an excuse to stay off the Board. There is no peace in Gaza. A questionable peace body is unlikely to achieve it.