Trump's Board of Peace to meet as Gaza stability plan languishes

"President Donald Trump's Board of Peace willhold its inaugural meeting Thursday in Washington, gathering officials from dozens of countries to hear a status report onhispeace plan for the Gaza Strip and what he has described as the board's "unlimited potential" to become "the most consequential international body in history." "We're going to have all world leaders," Trump told reporters Monday. But it remains unclear which leaders, or how many, will show up for the meeting to be held at the recently renamed Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace."

"Of the 60 or so invitations he sent to heads of state to serve on the board, about two dozen countries have agreed to join. They include some who are far removed from events in the Middle East but in Trump's good graces, such as Argentina's Javier Milei and Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban. Belarus's dictator, Alexandr Lukashenko, accepted the invitation but is sending his foreign minister. More than half the countries that have joined, including Belarus, are on the administration's recently released list of 75 nations barred from U.S. visas pending a State Department review."

"Pakistan's prime minister is coming, but many in the Middle East are sending lower-ranking officials; some, particularly in Europe, have said they will attend only as "observers." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to attend and will be represented by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Under the board charter, which Trump signed last month onstage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, temporary membership is free for three years, while the price of a permanent seat is a $1 billion "in cash funds ... within the first year." It is not clear which attendees have paid."

President Donald Trump's Board of Peace will hold an inaugural meeting in Washington to present a Gaza Strip peace plan and to promote the board's global role. About 60 invitations were issued to heads of state and roughly two dozen countries have agreed to join, including leaders allied with Trump and several nations on a U.S. visa-restricted list. Attendance varies, with some countries sending lower-ranking officials or observers and some leaders represented by ministers. The board charter grants three years of free temporary membership and demands $1 billion in cash within a year for permanent seats. Announced aid pledges were reported.

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