Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ hints at broader role beyond Gaza

US President Donald Trump has begun extending invitations to world leaders and prominent figures to join his newly conceived “Board of Peace”, signaling ambitions that appear to reach far beyond the war-torn streets of Gaza, the Al Jazeera reported.

What began as a body envisioned to oversee post-conflict governance and reconstruction in the Palestinian enclave is now being framed as a potential platform for addressing global conflicts at large.

Trump first unveiled the board as part of phase two of a ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Hamas, outlining its initial mandate: to oversee governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, and capital mobilisation within Gaza. Yet letters posted to social media on Saturday by two of the invited leaders — Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Paraguay’s leader Santiago Pena — paint a broader vision. An accompanying “charter” hints at loftier goals, suggesting a body that could one day seek to “solidify peace in the Middle East” and “embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict”.

According to the Financial Times, the charter describes the board as “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”.

It calls for pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from institutions that have too often failed, without directly referencing Gaza.

Diplomatic sources have likened the initiative to a “Trump United Nations”, asserting that it appears to bypass the traditional frameworks of the UN charter. A senior US official, however, described the board’s broader ambitions as “aspirational”, stressing that it is not intended to replace the UN. For now, the Trump administration maintains that the board’s immediate focus remains on Gaza.

The initial roster of the executive board includes high-profile figures such as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, US secretary of state Marco Rubio, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff. Joining them are Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and US deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.

The executive board will supervise a technocratic Palestinian committee, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), expected to manage day-to-day governance in Gaza in place of Hamas. The 11-member board also includes Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al Thawadi, UN Middle East peace coordinator Sigrid Kaag, UAE minister of state for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay.

Beyond these appointments, Trump has reportedly invited global leaders including Argentina’s Milei and Pena, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with sources suggesting France, Germany, Australia, and Canada may also receive invitations. The White House plans to announce additional members in the coming weeks.

The initial announcement sparked controversy across the Middle East for excluding Palestinians, instead elevating staunch supporters of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu objected, asserting that the board’s composition “was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy”.

Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration is seeking $1 billion from countries wishing to join the board. The White House denied the existence of a minimum membership fee but appeared to confirm that permanent membership would involve a $1 billion commitment, framing it as a gesture of “deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity”.

What began as a Gaza-focused initiative now reads as a bold, if controversial, vision for global diplomacy — an audacious attempt to chart new pathways for conflict resolution on the world stage, in a manner that only Donald Trump could imagine.