Let me be clear: There was no excuse, and there is no forgiveness, for the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas forces on the innocent civilians of Israel, which took the lives of more than 1,200 people, with another 251 taken hostage. A proportional response was most certainly called for, and most of the world stood firmly behind Israel and mourned with her people.

But there is nothing proportional in what Benjamin Netanyahu has done to Gaza in the past two years. In his fury to exact revenge upon Hamas, he has leveled an entire region and killed an estimated 70,000 civilians, including children, journalists and aid workers, while also blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid for the survivors.

Peacekeeping efforts thus far have had only limited success, with ceasefire agreements being broken by one side or the other almost as soon as they take effect. And now Donald Trump — who knows even less about the history of the Middle East than he does about Russia and Ukraine, if that’s possible — thinks he not only has the solution to the Israel-Gaza conflict, and the perfect vision for the rebuilding of the territory, but also the divine right to run the show.

Well, why not? After Venezuela and Greenland, Gaza should be a piece of cake. And what’s next after that? Australia? Taiwan, before China gets their hands on it? Or how about the Holy See? I hear the Vatican is loaded with priceless ancient treasures.

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But seriously, Trump has already formed a “Board of Peace” — a committee to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza — initially comprised of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, realtor-cum-special-envoy Steve Witkoff, realtor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, CEO of Apollo Global Management Marc Rowan, President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga, and Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel. Needless to say, the Chairman of this illustrious group — which Trump describes as “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled” — is none other than . . . drumroll, please . . . Donald J. Trump. [Ivana Kottasova and Anna Chernova, CNN, January 19, 2026.]

Well, aside from the first three, at least he seems to have assembled a knowledgeable group to get things rolling.

But then he began casting his net over a wider territory — worldwide, in fact. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing, except for the fact that the first invitations have gone out to some of the world’s most notorious authoritarian leaders: Turkish president Erdogan, Argentine President Milei, Egyptian President el-Sisi, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Belarusian (presumptive) President Lukashenko, and — as the cherry atop the ice cream sundae — Vladimir Putin. [Id.]

It is not yet clear how many of the invitees have responded. But in a statement to reporters during a regular media briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:

“President Putin also received through diplomatic channels an invitation to join this Board of Peace.” He said that the Kremlin is now reviewing the invitation and “hoping to get more details from the US side.” [Id.]

That’s right: Vladimir Putin — the man still raining terror, death and destruction on Ukraine — and several of his most ardent supporters are among those whose countries have been chosen by Trump as potential members of his “Board of Peace.” I’m surprised he hasn’t yet invited Xi Jinping or Kim Jong Un . . . or maybe he has and we just don’t know about it yet.

With or without Xi and Kim, I’m finding it difficult to imagine a group of people less likely ever to come to an agreement on anything.

And by the way, those wishing a permanent seat on the Board (as opposed to the regular three-year term) will be able to do so for the bargain price of $1 billion. According to an unnamed U.S. official, all funds will go toward rebuilding Gaza, and “there will be no exorbitant salaries and massive administrative bloat that plagues many other international organizations.” [Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN, January 18, 2026.]

(Note that the official failed to define “exorbitant” and “massive.”)

Incidentally, an invitation was also sent to French President Emmanuel Macron, who is the only one thus far known to have said “thanks but no thanks.” France will not be participating.

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Sun Tzu wrote “The Art of War”; Donald Trump (or rather, his ghost writer, Tony Schwartz) produced “The Art of the Deal.” The first has stood the test of time for more than two millennia; the second . . . well . . . not so much. But do you suppose Trump might now be aiming for a Nobel Prize for Literature with a new masterpiece, perhaps to be titled “The Art of Owning Everything”? If so, I foresee advice like this:

• Method No. 1: Invade the country, kidnap its president, confiscate its oil and sell it to an adversarial country or countries, stashing the proceeds in a Qatari bank in your own name.
• Method No. 2: Offer to buy the country, insult them if they refuse your offer, and threaten to resort to Plan B, which is disturbingly similar to Method No. 1.
• Method No. 3: Have one of your authoritarian allies demolish a “shithole” region, doing your dirty work for you so that you can then move in, take it over, and — using other people’s money — build a big, gold-encrusted, Riviera-style resort for your billionaire friends to enjoy.

In his best days, even Mel Brooks couldn’t have made this stuff up. But this isn’t satire; this is a real person, pacing in his bedroom, shooting off social media rants at 3:00 a.m., really believing that it is not just conceivable, but totally o.k., for him to do these things.

While the world goes to pieces.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/20/26