We urge you to include critical perspectives and essential context regarding Trump’s “Board of Peace” in future reporting, especially perspectives that center Palestinian voices and expose how colonial powers mask intentions of occupation under the rhetoric of peace.
To the CBC News newsroom,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (www.cjpme.org) regarding your news segment titled: “Trump launches 'Board of Peace' in Davos.”
During the segment, reporter Saša Petricic describes Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” as “very ambitious” and “a work in progress,” repeating this framing multiple times.
The report also notes that Jared Kushner, described as Trump’s envoy, is working on an expansive postwar vision for Gaza centered on housing, tourism, and a transportation hub once fighting stops.
The segment then gives disproportionate space to Trump’s own claims that he and others are committed to rebuilding Gaza and that this constitutes a “great peace plan.” Rather than offering critical perspectives, Petricic largely echoes Trump’s rhetoric, repeating the idea that Gaza could be “turned into a beautiful place” and framed as a fresh beginning “for peace in the region.”
While the segment is brief, its framing is notably one-sided. The word “ambitious” is used repeatedly, yet no counter-perspective is offered.
Crucially, the report fails to mention that Palestinians, the very people this proposed development is materially affecting, have not been consulted at any stage.
Even more striking, the report does not mention that not a single Palestinian is represented on the board. The executive board includes former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Kushner himself, with Trump serving as chair and holding veto power, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is currently facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
By omitting these essential facts and relying so heavily on the language and perspective of Trump and his political allies, the segment presents Trump’s “Board of Peace”- a fundamentally colonial instrument as an unquestioned pathway toward peace. This falls short of basic journalistic standards of balance and accountability.
We urge you to include critical perspectives and essential context regarding Trump’s “Board of Peace” in future reporting, especially perspectives that center Palestinian voices and expose how colonial powers mask intentions of occupation under the rhetoric of peace.