Trump Taps Netanyahu for His New ‘Board of Peace’ Initiative
Netanyahu joins Trump’s Board of Peace as a leaked charter reveals a $1B rule for permanent seats, raising global concerns over Gaza governance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join his Board of Peace.
A statement from his office said Netanyahu would become a member of the board, "which will include world leaders."
The board was initially thought to be intended to help end the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. However, its proposed charter makes no mention of the Palestinian territories and appears designed to supersede the work of the UN.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have also agreed to join, along with Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Vietnam. Several other countries have objected.
It is unclear how many countries have been invited to join Trump's new body – Canada, Russia, Turkey, and the UK are among them, but they have not yet responded publicly.
Norway has said it will not join because the current proposal "raises many questions," while France and Sweden have also indicated they will not participate.
According to a copy of the charter leaked to the media, member states will be given a three-year renewable term, but they can secure a permanent seat if they provide the board with $1 billion (£740 million) in funding.
The document states that the Board of Peace "will be an international organization that will strive to promote stability, restore credible and legitimate governance, and ensure lasting peace in conflict-affected or threatened regions." It also states that it will "conduct such peace-building activities in accordance with international law."
Trump will serve as chairman but will also act "separately" as the US representative. A US official said the chairmanship would remain with Trump "until he resigns," but a future US president could appoint a new representative. According to the document, as chairman, he will have the "exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities deemed necessary or appropriate to fulfill the Board of Peace's mission."
US officials say he will also select "leaders of global stature" for a two-year term on an executive board that will help carry out the Board of Peace's mission.
Last Friday, the White House named seven members of the founding executive board. These included US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
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Trump also appointed Bulgarian politician and former UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov as the Board of Peace's on-the-ground representative in Gaza during the second phase of Trump's peace plan, which includes the reconstruction and demilitarization of the territory, including the disarmament of Hamas, as well as the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Mladenov will serve as a liaison with a Palestinian technocratic government that will "oversee the restoration of basic public services, the rebuilding of civil institutions, and the stabilization of daily life."
According to the White House, a separate Gaza Executive Board will help support the technocratic government.
Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, Pompeo, and Mladenov will work alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, Qatari Minister of State for Strategic Affairs Ali Al-Thawadi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimi, billionaire Israeli real estate developer Yakir Gabay, and Dutch politician and UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Sigrid Kaag.
On Saturday, Netanyahu's office said the structure of the Gaza Executive Board "was not coordinated with Israel and contradicts its policy." Israeli media reported that the decision to include representatives from Turkey and Qatar – who, along with Egypt and the United States, helped broker the ceasefire that went into effect in October – was made "over Israel's head."
Under the first phase of the peace plan, Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, an exchange of Israeli hostages (both living and deceased) held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and an increase in the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The second phase presents significant challenges, as Hamas has previously refused to lay down its arms without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, and Israel has not committed to a full withdrawal from Gaza.
The ceasefire is also fragile. According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza, more than 460 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since it went into effect, while the Israeli military says three of its soldiers have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period. The war began on October 7, 2023, with a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 others.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which, according to the area's health ministry, more than 71,550 people have been killed.
Thank you for reading this content.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which, according to the area's health ministry, more than 71,550 people have been killed.
Thank you for reading this content.
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