WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel’s formal membership in US President Donald Trump’s recently established “Board of Peace,” an controversial global entity established to monitor temporary governance in Gaza and to resolve the conflict.
This was announced by Netanyahu during his trip to Washington, where he met with the president, Trump, and the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Photographs of the meeting between Netanyahu and Rubio show them holding a document bearing Netanyahu’s signature, signifying Israel’s accession.
“I signed Israel’s accession as a member of the ‘Board of Peace,’” Netanyahu wrote on X. However, Netanyahu said his meeting with Trump extensively discussed Iran and regional security concerns.
The Board of Peace mandate was created upon the adoption of a United Nations Security Council resolution that took place in mid-November. The resolution provided the board and participating nations with the authority to create an international stabilisation force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire has been holding sway since last October under a plan brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump and embraced by Israel and Hamas.
The formation, initially intended to oversee the temporary administration in Gaza, has expanded in mandate. This is as President Trump, who leads the initiative, announced that the body would be expanded to tackle international conflicts beyond Gaza.
The board is expected to hold its first official meeting on February 19 in Washington. Gaza’s reconstruction will be at the top of the agenda. The initiative, however, has sparked fierce debate.
Experts and legal professionals have also questioned the structure of the board, stating that a US-managed body involved in the governance of a foreign land sounds like a colonial administration. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Israel is part of the panel, while the Palestinians do not have any representation.
Some countries, however, are welcoming Trump’s late-January invitation to sign on. Though some of Trump’s Middle Eastern allies have signed up for this board, many of Trump’s traditional Western allies have refused, fearing that such a board would bypass United Nations authority.
The Gaza ceasefire has remained shaky as the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has caused the death of at least 580 Palestinians since the truce was called into action. The overall conflict has rendered more than 72,000 people dead according to Gaza’s health ministry, resulting in a critical famine crisis and displacement of Gaza’s people.
The next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan aims to tackle contentious issues, including Hamas’s disarmament — a demand the group has repeatedly rejected — further Israeli military withdrawal and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force.
As global attention turns to Washington next week, the Board of Peace faces a defining question: can it stabilise Gaza, or will it deepen divisions in an already fractured region?
