WASHINGTON, Jan 16 — Leaders from several countries on Saturday received a letter inviting them to join a so-called United States (US)-led "Board of Peace" initiative that would initially aim to end conflict in Gaza but then be expanded to tackle conflicts elsewhere, diplomats said.
On Friday, the White House announced some members of this board, which would outlive its role supervising the temporary governance of Gaza, under a fragile ceasefire since October last year.
The names include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, former United Kingdom (UK) prime minister Tony Blair, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump is the chair of the board, according to a plan his White House unveiled in October.
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off on Trump's plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic administration will be overseen by an international board, which will supervise Gaza's governance for a transitional period.
Trump goes for global peace role
"It's going to, in my opinion, start with Gaza and then do conflicts as they arise," Trump told Reuters in an interview earlier this week.
"... like — other countries that are going to war with each other," he said when asked what its objective would be.
Many rights experts and advocates have said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory's governance resembles a colonial structure, while Blair's involvement was criticised last year due to his role in the Iraq war and the history of UK imperialism in the Middle East.
The White House did not detail each board member's responsibilities, but the names do not include any Palestinians. It added that more members will be announced over the coming weeks.
It also named a separate, 11-member "Gaza Executive Board" to support the technocratic body, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, United Nations (UN) Middle East peace coordinator Sigrid Kaag, United Arab Emirates International Cooperation Minister Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the composition of this board had not been coordinated with Israel and contradicted its policy, possibly a reference to Fidan's presence, as Israel objects to Turkish involvement. The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
France, Germany, Egypt, Turkiye among those invited
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of ceasefire violations in Gaza, where more than 450 Palestinians, including over 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed during the truce.
Israel's assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza's entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars, and a UN inquiry say this amounts to genocide. Israel has said it took action in self-defence after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in a late 2023 attack.
On Saturday, four sources said that the leaders of France, Germany, Australia, and Canada were among those invited to sit on the Board of Peace.
The offices of the Egyptian and Turkish presidents confirmed they had been invited. A European Union (EU) official said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had been invited to represent the EU.
Two diplomatic sources said the invitation letter included a "charter".
"It's a 'Trump United Nations' that ignores the fundamentals of the UN charter," said one diplomat aware of the letter, noting that it called the board a "bold new approach to resolving Global Conflict".
The White House said that the Board of Peace will also include private equity executive and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump adviser Robert Gabriel. Former UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov will be the high representative for Gaza.
US Special Operations Commander and Army Major General Jasper Jeffers was appointed commander of the International Stabilisation Force. A UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorised the board and countries working with it to establish that force in Gaza.
