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By Mandy Taheri
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President Donald Trump is set to host the first meeting of his newly created Board of Peace in Washington, D.C., this month, the Associated Press reported.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment and confirmation via email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Trump’s Board of Peace is gaining momentum as a growing list of nations sign on to a project initially approved to resolve the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, but has shifted and is expected to command a broader mandate as its geographic and geopolitical mandate expands.
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Many European allies have declined membership to the board, some seeing it as a challenger to the United Nations (U.N.). While Trump has cast doubt on the intergovernmental organization, he most recently said the board would work "in conjunction with the United Nations." Around 25 countries have joined the board, which Trump oversees as chairman.
What To Know
The meeting will include world leaders who accepted invitations to serve on the board, along with members of the Gaza executive committee, the AP reported, citing two Trump administration officials.
Invitations to the meeting were sent late Friday night, the AP reported. While details of the agenda are still being sorted as well as guest lists, the venue is reportedly at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which the president has sought to rename after himself.
The Board initially spun out of Trump’s 20-point peace plan to end the Gaza conflict, and in late January, the president officially signed the charter while at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. But the growing membership of the Board extends beyond those countries that may be directly motivated by the situation in Gaza.
A founding Executive Board is comprised of appointed members Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair, CEO of Apollo Global Management Marc Rowan, President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga, and deputy national security advisor Robert Gabriel Jr.
Some of the same members preside on the Gaza Executive Board, while others include: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi; Egyptian intelligence agency director General Hassan Rashad; UAE Minister Reem Al-Hashimy; Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay; Bulgarian politician Nickolay Mladenov; and United Nations coordinator for humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sigrid Kaag.
The Gaza board is in charge of implementing the second phase of Trump's Gaza deal focused on disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza.
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What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on January 15: "It is my Great Honor to announce that THE BOARD OF PEACE has been formed. The Members of the Board will be announced shortly, but I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Special envoy Steve Witkoff wrote in an X post on January 14: "Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction. Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel. The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences."
United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC in January: "We won't be one of the signatories today," Cooper told the BBC Thursday. "Because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues, and we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine."
Norway’s State Secretary Kristoffer Thoner said ahead of Davos: “The American proposal raises a number of questions that requires further dialogue with the United States. Norway will therefore not join the proposed arrangements for the Board of Peace, and will therefore not attend a signing ceremony in Davos.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in January: "Yes to implementing the peace plan presented by the president of the United States, which we wholeheartedly support, but no to creating an organization as it has been presented, which would replace the United Nations."
What Happens Next
Details of the first meeting’s agenda are expected to be released soon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House this Wednesday to discuss the recent U.S. talks with Iran. Netanyahu has agreed to join the Board of Peace despite initial criticisms.
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