Trump Hosts Inaugural Board of Peace Meeting

Latest Developments

First Meeting of International Bloc: President Donald Trump convened the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace on February 19 in Washington, DC. Representatives and heads of state of at least 40 countries attended the event, which was held at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Trump stated that the United States had pledged $10 billion to the board and that member states had pledged a combined $7 billion for the reconstruction of the war-torn Gaza Strip, the primary focus of the board.
Head of Technocratic Government in Gaza Lays Out Plan: Speaking at the meeting, Ali Shaath, the chief commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), announced that some 5,000 Palestinian police officers will deploy to Gaza in 60 days. “A new governing authority is now in place for Gaza with a clear mandate and a clear commitment to establishing development and stability,” he said, adding, “Large parts of the Gaza Strip are severely damaged — destroyed actually, humanitarian needs are acute, [and] law and order remain fragile.” Shaath stated that the NCAG’s priorities are to “restore security … revive economic activities and livelihood … ensure sustainable emergency relief,” and “restore basic services, including electricity, water, health, and education.”
Gaza Security Forces Take Shape: International Stabilization Force (ISF) commander Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers announced that the “first five countries have committed troops to serve in the ISF — Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania.” Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, has pledged to contribute 8,000 soldiers to the force and will serve as the deputy commander, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to training the police force. In the long term, the ISF force would include 20,000 soldiers and 12,000 police officers who will begin operating in Rafah and “expand sector by sector.” The board’s high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, said that 2,000 Palestinians had already signed up to serve in the police force.

FDD Expert Response

“This meeting is an important step forward, and it is reassuring that its focus is primarily on Gaza. The success or failure of the Board of Peace will be determined by how effectively it supports the Gaza peace plan. Until significant progress has been made on that front, any other Board of Peace activity is a distraction. Hamas continues to block key aspects of the plan, notably through its refusal to disarm, so the business at hand in DC is to muster pressure on the group to force it into compliance.” — Edmund Fitton-Brown, Senior Fellow

“The White House approach to the Board of Peace seems singularly focused on shaking loose previous intractable conflicts. The limitations of this approach remain the inclusion of authoritarian countries and nations that do not share U.S. long-term interests but rather are participating to ensure their own internal security needs. If the board is to succeed, it needs to create mutually reinforcing incentives for the countries involved to avoid future conflicts and prioritize long-term stability and interconnection.” — Tyler Stapleton, Senior Director of Government Relations, FDD Action