Palestinians stand near rubble from destroyed buildings in Gaza City on November 17, 2025. (Photo by Reuters)

The former head of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) office says US President Donald Trump`s "Board of Peace" is a structural extension of Israeli occupation that is now steering Washington towards a full-fledged colonial administration of Gaza.

In a post on X, Craig Mokhiber, who resigned in October 2023 in protest against Israel`s genocide in Gaza, said Trump`s so-called "Board of Peace is structurally and functionally an extension of the occupation, and is led by one of the genocide co-perpetrators with the authoritative participation of the other."

"To be clear: The occupation of Gaza is unlawful under international law. Israel and the US are perpetrating genocide in Gaza. Both the occupation and the genocide breach the highest ("jus cogens & erga omnes") rules of international law, which no colonial edict by Trump, no ultra vires resolution of the Security Council, and no agreement by the occupied Palestinian Authority can legalize."

Trump has announced the executive members of Gaza`s so-called Board of Peace, a body he claims will oversee "transitional governance" in the besieged territory.

The White House`s proposed Gaza council, headed by Trum,p is stacked with pro-Israel figures and Western elites.

"Any state or individual that participates in this unlawful body is complicit in the grave international crimes of the US-Israel Axis, for which they could and should be held accountable," Mokhiber warned.

He added "that the world is now watching to see who joins the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, and who aligns themselves with their oppressors in the colonial ‘Board of Peace.`"

The move comes as most of the commitments outlined in Trump`s 20-point plan, which formed the basis of the ceasefire announced three months ago, have failed to materialize on the ground.

Phase one was supposed to immediately halt the fighting, facilitate the exchange of Israeli and Palestinian captives, define a boundary for Israel`s withdrawal from parts of Gaza, guarantee the full entry of humanitarian aid, and reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

The former UN human rights official stressed that Palestinians, under international law, retain the right to resist the military occupation, including through armed resistance.

"And, also as a matter of international law, the Palestinian people have a right to resist the foreign occupation, colonial domination, and racist regime to which they are subjected, and people around the world have the right to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in this struggle," Mokhiber said.

Since Israel launched its genocidal campaign on October 7, 2023, more than 71,500 Palestinians have been killed and over 172,000 wounded, the vast majority of them women and children.