The inaugural leaders meeting for the Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ is set for February 19 in Washington, focusing on reconstruction fundraising.
WASHINGTON: The White House is planning the first leaders meeting for President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ concerning Gaza on February 19. The meeting is also intended to be a fundraising conference for Gaza’s reconstruction, according to a report by Axios citing a U.S. official and diplomats from four board member countries.
The plans are in early stages and could still change. The meeting is planned to be held at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on February 18, a day before the planned board meeting. The White House and the U.S. State Department did not respond to requests for comment.
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Trump launched the board in late January, which he will chair with the stated aim of resolving global conflicts. Many experts have expressed concern that such a board could undermine the United Nations.
Governments worldwide have reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation to join the initiative. While some of Washington’s Middle Eastern allies have joined, many traditional Western allies have thus far stayed away.
A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorised the board and countries working with it to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza. A fragile ceasefire began there in October under a Trump plan agreed upon by Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Under Trump’s Gaza plan revealed late last year, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump thereafter said it would be expanded to tackle global conflicts.
Many rights experts say Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembles a colonial structure. They have also criticised the board for not including a Palestinian representative.
The fragile ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated. Over 550 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the truce began in October.
Israel’s assault on Gaza since late 2023 has killed over 71,000 Palestinians and caused a hunger crisis. It has internally displaced Gaza’s entire population.
Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say the assault amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defense after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in a late 2023 attack.
