WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hosted the first meeting of his newly formed Board of Peace on Thursday, bringing together officials from more than 40 nations and the European Union to discuss rebuilding Gaza and establishing international peacekeeping forces in the war-torn region where a fragile ceasefire continues.
Before the gathering, Trump revealed that board participants have committed $5 billion toward reconstruction efforts, though this represents only a small portion of the estimated $70 billion experts say will be required to rebuild the Palestinian territory following two years of devastating conflict. Attendees are also expected to announce commitments involving thousands of personnel for international security and police operations in the area.
“We have the greatest leaders in the world joining the Board of Peace,” Trump stated to reporters earlier this week. “I think it has the chance to be the most consequential board ever assembled of any kind.”
Originally conceived as part of Trump’s comprehensive 20-point peace proposal to resolve the Gaza conflict, the board’s mission has expanded significantly since the October ceasefire agreement. Trump now envisions the organization taking on a broader role that extends beyond achieving lasting peace between Israel and Hamas to addressing global conflicts worldwide.
However, as the board holds its inaugural session, the Gaza ceasefire remains unstable, and Trump’s expanded ambitions for the organization have raised concerns among some that the U.S. president seeks to establish an alternative to the United Nations. Earlier this week, Trump expressed hope that the board would encourage the U.N. to “get on the ball.”
“The United Nations has great potential,” he remarked. “They haven’t lived up to the potential.”
According to a senior administration official who spoke anonymously, representatives from more than 40 countries and the European Union confirmed their attendance at Thursday’s session. Several nations including Germany, Italy, Norway, and Switzerland, while not board members, are participating as observers.
The United Nations Security Council conducted a high-level session Wednesday addressing the ceasefire agreement and Israel’s expanding activities in the West Bank. Originally planned for Thursday, the U.N. meeting was rescheduled earlier to avoid conflicts with the Board of Peace gathering that would have complicated diplomatic travel arrangements.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed this week that “at the international level it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.” The Trump administration responded to these Vatican concerns on Wednesday.
“This president has a very bold and ambitious plan and vision to rebuild and reconstruct Gaza, which is well underway because of the Board of Peace,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated. “This is a legitimate organization where there are tens of member countries from around the world.”
U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz also addressed skeptical allies, emphasizing that the board is “not talking, it is doing.”
“We are hearing the chattering class criticizing the structure of the board, that it’s unconventional, that it’s unprecedented,” Waltz commented. “Again, the old ways were not working.”
A primary focus of Thursday’s discussions involves establishing an armed international stabilization force to maintain security and ensure the disarmament of Hamas militants, which represents both a key Israeli requirement and a fundamental element of the ceasefire agreement.
However, only Indonesia has made a concrete commitment to Trump’s proposed force so far. Hamas has shown little indication of willingness to proceed with disarmament. While the administration acknowledges it is “under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization,” officials report encouragement from mediator feedback, according to a U.S. official speaking anonymously.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto committed to collaborating closely with other prominent Islamic nations invited by Trump to “join in the endeavors to try to achieve lasting peace in Palestine.”
“We recognize there are still obstacles to be overcome, but at least my position is at least we have to try, and we have to do our best,” he said during a Wednesday event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he engaged with business community members.
Thursday’s agenda includes updates from the Gaza Executive Board, the organization’s operational division, regarding efforts to establish functional government systems and services for the territory, according to the anonymous official who outlined the meeting’s general framework.
Alongside Trump, other scheduled speakers include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, executive board high representative Nickolay Mladenov, and Waltz.
Michael Hanna, U.S. program director at the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conflict prevention, indicated that skepticism from some U.S. allies appears justified.
“Without any clear authorization for the expansion of its mandate beyond Gaza, it is unsurprising that many U.S. allies and partners have chosen to decline Trump’s offer to join the board,” Hanna explained. “Instead, many of the states most invested in Gaza’s future have signed up with the hope of focusing U.S. attention and encouraging Trump himself to use the influence and leverage he has with Israel.”
