BREAKING: Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" is exploring the use of a USD-pegged crypto stablecoin to help rebuild Gaza's war-damaged economy and enable digital payments in the enclave. The initiative is being spearheaded by Liran Tancman, a Zionist Israeli tech entrepreneur and former reservist, who serves as an unpaid adviser to the board. He is one of the founders of the Israeli Cyber Command and spent a decade in Israel's intelligence corps. Tancman presented the idea at the Board's inaugural meeting. He described his plans for a "secure digital backbone" that would support e-payments, financial services, e-learning, healthcare, and more, alongside upgrades to Gaza's outdated 2G network to provide free high-speed internet access by the Summer of 2026. However, the proposal has sparked significant concerns and criticism. Many highlight practical barriers: large parts of Gaza still face frequent power outages, extremely limited and outdated network infrastructure, and a lack of widespread access to smartphones or reliable devices needed for digital transactions. Critics also worry that a Gaza-specific digital currency system could further economically separate Gaza from the West Bank, potentially deepening fragmentation of Palestinian territories. There are additional fears that such a system, especially given involvement from Israeli-linked figures and tech entities, could enable easier surveillance of financial transactions by Israel or other parties, raising serious privacy and sovereignty issues.(Jacob King)