Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza: Who is in and who is out?

The newly established US-led body is part of a roadmap to support the enclave’s reconstruction

US President Donald Trump has convened a new ‘Board of Peace’ to guide what he calls Gaza stabilization and reconstruction, drawing participation from dozens of countries across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. While some key US allies are joining, major Western powers have declined full membership, some due to divisions over the board’s role relative to the United Nations.

The board has pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory.

Formally established in mid-January as part of Trump’s Gaza peace roadmap, permanent membership beyond the initial three years reportedly requires a contribution of $1 billion. Critics have questioned the board’s mandate and the absence of Palestinian political representation.

Trump said during his speech inaugurating the panel that is the “most consequential” grouping of world leaders ever formed. He added that some countries are “playing cute” by not having joined yet, including some that he does not even want to be in the body, despite having invited them.

Who sits on Trump’s Board of Peace? 

The White House has formally invited 50 countries to join the board, with roughly 35 expressing interest so far. Reports indicate that around 26 countries have reportedly formally joined and are designated as founding members, and sent representatives to the inaugural meeting in Washington.

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Two EU member states that accepted invitations are Hungary and Bulgaria, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Trump, attending in person. Kosovo and Albania are also participating.

The board’s inaugural session in Washington drew participating country representatives, ranging from heads of state such as Argentinean President Javier Milei, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, to lower-ranking officials, along with members of the US Executive Board overseeing operational planning. 

Major Middle Eastern partners on the board include Israel (represented by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar), the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Jordan, Qatar, and Kuwait – all of whom sent delegations to the first session.

From Asia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan –  represented by Prime Minister Shehbaz  Sharif – attended.

Russia has confirmed that it received an invitation and said it is studying the proposal.

An Executive Board of key Trump administration figures is supporting operational planning, including Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and other senior advisers overseeing reconstruction, governance, and investment portfolios tied to the board’s mandate.

Are Palestinians involved in the Board of Peace? 

No Palestinian representatives have been placed on the Board of Peace, nor on the parallel Gaza Executive Board. Neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority (PA), including PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, were invited to join.

The only Palestinian representation is on the separate National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which includes Palestinians as heads of various services in the proposed ‘New Gaza’.

According to a Palestinian source speaking to the Times of Israel, Washington has only approved the establishment of a coordination committee between the PA and the Board. The committee ought to formalize ties between the PA and the Board of Peace, which is overseeing the postwar reconstruction of Gaza. PA Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa will represent Ramallah on the panel, and Gaza High Representative Nickolay Mladenov is to represent the Board of Peace, the two officials said.

After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to join the board, the move drew criticism, particularly given that his office had previously questioned the composition of its executive committee. Responding on February 11, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu’s participation in the council was “the farce of the era.” 

The Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq has also described Trump’s peace plan as a “dark day for the international community.” 

“Rather than ensuring an immediate and unconditional end to Israel’s unlawful occupation… the plan extends, deepens, and internationalizes it,” it said in a statement.

Who has declined Board of Peace membership?

Several Western powers and prominent global actors have refused or are holding off, citing concerns about the breadth of the board’s charter and potential overlap with the United Nations.

The EU is not joining; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declined to come to the inaugural meeting, while a European commissioner’s attendance sparked controversy among bloc members, who had not authorized the official’s visit. France, Germany, the UK, and Spain have all declined full membership.

The Vatican has also declined, saying that the Gaza crisis response should remain under UN auspices.

Other countries explicitly declining or awaiting clarification include New Zealand (which declined outright) and Australia (still reviewing). Several Western governments that did accept invitations are limiting participation to non-member observer roles rather than full membership.

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What’s on the agenda for the first board meeting? 

Five countries are ready to deploy peacekeepers to Gaza, US Major-General Jasper Jeffers has said during the meeting. “The first five countries have committed troops to serve in the ISF - Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania. Two countries have committed to train police – Egypt and Jordan,” he said.

He added that the ISF would begin by deploying in southern Gaza's Rafa, train police there and “expand sector by sector.”

The long-term plan is to use 20,000 ISF troops and train 12,000 police, Jeffers said.

The original idea behind the board was to execute Trump’s blueprint for postwar Gaza, which he outlined in a 20-point peace plan in September. Trump says member nations have already pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding the territory, while the United Nations has estimated the cost at more than $50 billion.

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The board is also to deliver humanitarian assistance, set up security mechanisms, and lay the foundation for economic recovery in Gaza. It wants a technocratic administration for the enclave almost fully destroyed in three years of war, managed by international experts rather than elected officials.

Trump is the chairman and a member for life.

“Each member state shall serve a term of no more than three years from this charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the chairman,” states the document, first reported by Bloomberg News. “The three-year membership term shall not apply to member states that contribute more than $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the board of peace within the first year of the charter’s entry into force.” 

Under the draft charter, membership of the board is restricted to states invited by the chair. The chair would also be granted sweeping powers, including the authority to remove member states – subject to a two-thirds veto by the board – and to appoint a successor in the event of their own departure.

Is Trump’s Board of Peace a rival to the UN? 

The board has also drawn criticism over taking aim at existing international institutions, including the UN. The charter’s board says the committee must have “the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.” 

Trump himself has long been a vocal critic of the UN and earlier in January announced that the US would withdraw from 66 international organizations and treaties, around half of which are affiliated with the UN system.

Asked in late January if the board could replace the UN, Trump said: “It might… The UN just hasn’t been very helpful. It’s just never lived up to its potential.” 

On Wednesday, UN diplomats convened in New York a day earlier than originally scheduled to avoid overlapping with Trump’s Board of Peace meeting in Washington. During this session, they reaffirmed the UN’s crucial role in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even as the new US-led initiative aims to reshape global mediation efforts.

The UN undersecretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, referred to the moment as “pivotal,” highlighting it as a rare opportunity for the region to change direction after more than two years of conflict. However, she warned that the outcome will depend on decisions made in the coming weeks.

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Several council members also condemned Israel’s recent steps to expand its control over the West Bank, with Pakistan calling the moves “null and void” under international law.

What does Moscow think? 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he had received a personal appeal from Trump inviting him to join the board.

“As for our participation in the council, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has been instructed to study the documents we have received, consult with our strategic partners on this matter, and only after that will we be able to give an answer to the invitation that has been extended to us,” he said.

According to Putin, the primary focus should concern settlement in the Middle East, as well as finding ways to address the pressing problems of the Palestinian people and resolving the “most acute” humanitarian issues in Gaza. Putin emphasized the importance of ensuring that the entire process ultimately contributes positively to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Putin also said that Russia would be prepared to allocate $1 billion to the “Peace Council” from funds frozen in the US.

Moscow has sent Washington an official note authorizing the use of the frozen assets for projects in Gaza but has not received a response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.