Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel has signed on to U.S. President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" initiative during a Washington visit that included meetings with President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Following his meeting with Rubio, Netanyahu posted on X that he had "signed Israels accession as a member of the 'Board of Peace.'" His trip to the U.S. capital was aimed at discussions with Trump about Iran, according to his public comments.
The board itself was authorized, along with the possibility for countries acting with it to create an international stabilization force in Gaza, by a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November. The board is tied to a Trump plan that helped secure a fragile ceasefire in Gaza in October, an arrangement to which both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed.
Under the framework set out in the Trump Gaza plan, the board was intended to oversee Gazas temporary governance. Trump later stated that he would chair the board and that it would be broadened to address conflicts beyond Gaza.
Officials plan for the board to hold its inaugural meeting on February 19 in Washington, with Gaza reconstruction on the agenda.
Reaction to the board has been mixed and cautious. Several rights experts have criticized the concept of a board chaired by Trump to supervise affairs in a foreign territory, saying it bore similarities to a colonial structure. Israels inclusion on the board is anticipated to fuel additional criticism because the board does not include a Palestinian representative.
Countries responded carefully to Trumps invitation to join the board, which was launched in late January. The article notes that some of Washingtons Middle Eastern allies have accepted invitations to participate, while a substantial number of the United Statess traditional Western allies have declined to take part.
Concerns have been raised by many experts that the board could undermine the United Nations. Those concerns, together with the uneven international response, underscore the sensitivity surrounding the initiative.
The ceasefire that began in October under the Trump plan has been repeatedly violated, with Gaza health officials reporting at least 580 Palestinians killed since it began, and reports that four Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.
The Gaza health ministry reports that Israels assault has resulted in more than 72,000 deaths among Palestinians, has produced a hunger crisis, and has internally displaced Gazas entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry have stated that these actions amount to genocide. Israel describes its military campaign as an act of self-defense after a late 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants that killed 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 hostages taken.
The developments around the Board of Peace, the political dynamics of its composition, the contested humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the differing international responses set the stage for a contentious first meeting on February 19 in Washington, where reconstruction of Gaza will be discussed.