Leaders from several countries have received invitations to join a so-called U.S.-led ‘Board of Peace’, an initiative that would initially aim to end the conflict in Gaza before expanding to address other global disputes, diplomats said on Saturday.
The White House on Friday announced some members of the board, which would oversee Gaza’s temporary governance under a fragile ceasefire in place since October, before continuing its work elsewhere.
Those named include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump will chair the board, according to a plan unveiled in October.
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off on the proposal, which envisages Gaza being governed during a transitional period by a Palestinian technocratic administration overseen by an international board.
"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.
"Other countries that are going to war with each other," he added when asked about the board’s objectives.
The White House said the responsibilities of individual board members had not yet been detailed and confirmed that no Palestinians had been named. Officials said additional members would be announced in the coming weeks.
The administration also named a separate 11-member "Gaza Executive Board" to support the technocratic body.
It includes Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, UN Middle East peace coordinator Sigrid Kaag, United Arab Emirates international cooperation minister Reem Al-Hashimy and Israeli-Cypriot businessman Yakir Gabay.
However, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the composition of the Gaza Executive Board had not been coordinated with Israel and contradicted its policy, in an apparent reference to Turkey’s inclusion.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
The plan has drawn criticism from rights experts and advocates, who say a U.S.-led board overseeing governance of a foreign territory resembles a colonial structure.
Blair’s involvement has also been criticised because of his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.
Four sources said 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 received invitations, while a European Union 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", described by one diplomat as a "Trump United Nations" that ignored the fundamentals of the UN charter and promoted what it called a "bold new approach to resolving global conflict".
The White House said the board would also include private equity executive Marc Rowan, World Bank president Ajay Banga and Trump adviser Robert Gabriel. Nickolay Mladenov was named high representative for Gaza.
U.S. Army Major General Jasper Jeffers was appointed commander of an International Stabilisation Force. A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorised the board and partner countries to establish the force in Gaza.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of ceasefire violations, during which more than 450 Palestinians, including over 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since October 2023 has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, triggered a hunger crisis and displaced the territory’s entire population.
Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say the campaign amounts to genocide. Israel says it acted in self-defence after Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in an attack in late 2023.
Israel reportedly launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran on Friday (20 March), a day after U.S. President Donald...
Iranian attacks have wiped out 17% of Qatar’s liquified natural gas export capacity (LNG), equivalent to $20 bi...
U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field without U.S. or Qatari involvement, and warned that any Iranian at...
The ongoing conflict involving Iran is set to disrupt global travel on a massive scale, with nearly 28 million outbound trips from the Middle East ...
China is strengthening its presence in Central Asia by increasing gas imports from Turkmenistan and expanding trade and infrastructure cooperation ...
Israel reportedly launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran on Friday (20 March), a day after U.S. President Donald Trump told it not to repeat its strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure, which sharply escalated the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian father, mother, and two of their children as they drove in West Bank on Sunday (15 March), Palestinian health authorities said, and the Israeli military said the incident was under review.
Although against international humanitarian war, targeting desalination plants and other key locations is increasingly being used as a way of making an opponent weaker in battle. Water-related violent events have increased rapidly since 2022.
Israeli strikes killed five people in Gaza on Thursday (26 February), according to health officials in the territory. The Israeli military said separately that it had killed a militant who posed an imminent threat to its forces in southern Gaza.
One person has died after a cable car cabin at the Titlis ski resort in central Switzerland plunged down a snow-covered mountainside on Wednesday (18 March) amid strong winds.
Iranian President Pezeshkian has confirmed the killing of intelligence minister Esmail Khatib calling it a "cowardly assassination", following reports that Israel carried out an overnight strike.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field without U.S. or Qatari involvement, and warned that any Iranian attack on Qatar would prompt massive retaliation. The comments come as regional tensions soar after Tehran fired missiles at Gulf energy sites.
When a NATO-led coalition helped to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorship in Libya in 2011, it looked like the sun had risen on a new era. But within years, the nation was gripped by a second civil war, declining living standards and collapsing institutions. Could Iran follow suit?
South Korean pop sensation BTS, one of the world’s biggest music acts known for their record-breaking albums, global tours and devoted fanbase ARMY, will return to the spotlight in a new documentary, BTS: THE RETURN, premiering globally on Netflix on 27 March.
Transport groups across the Philippines launched a nationwide strike on Thursday in protest against rising oil prices. The action affected 15 to 20 protest centres in Metro Manila, with similar demonstrations taking place across several major provinces.
European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels on 19–20 March for a high-stakes summit shaped largely by external geopolitical shocks, with surging energy prices and a stalled €90 billion loan to Ukraine emerging as the dominant issues.
Heavy social media usage appears to contribute to a drop in wellbeing among young people, especially girls, in some English-speaking countries, the World Happiness Report found.
Anutin Charnvirakul has returned to power after winning a fresh mandate on Thursday following a Parliamentary vote in a country plagued by political drama and turmoil.
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves ordered the closure of the country’s embassy in Havana on Wednesday (18 March), saying he didn’t recognise Cuba’s government.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment