Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israel has joined the US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative, speaking during his visit to Washington, where he held meetings with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Visuals released earlier on Wednesday after the Netanyahu-Rubio meeting showed them holding a document, opening a new tab with Netanyahu’s signature on Israel joining the board. Netanyahu on X said that he “signed Israel’s accession as a member of the ‘Board of Peace.’
He later discussed Iran with Trump.
Earlier in mid-November, a UN Security Council resolution authorised the board and countries working with it to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a Trump plan on which Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off.
Under Trump’s Gaza plan, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Thereafter, Trump said the board, with him as chair, would be expanded to tackle global conflicts.
On February 19, the board will hold its first meeting in Washington to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction.
Many rights experts say that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembled a colonial structure. Israel’s presence on the board is expected to bring further criticism as the board does not include a Palestinian.
Countries have reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation to join the board launched in late January. Many experts are concerned that the board could undermine the United Nations.
While some of Washington’s Middle Eastern allies have joined, many of its traditional Western allies have stayed away.
The ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated, with at least 580 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed since it began in October, according to Palestinian and Israeli tallies, respectively.
The next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan calls for resolving complex issues like Hamas’ disarmament, which the group has long rejected, further Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed over 72,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza’s entire population.
Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defence after Hamas launched a retaliatory attack in late 2023.
