Trump’s Board of Peace Holds First Meeting With $7 Billion Pledged for Gaza

President Trump hosted the first meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday, telling members that nine of them have pledged $7 billion to a Gaza reconstruction package and that the United States will contribute $10 billion to the Board of Peace, according to Al Jazeera, NBC News and the Associated Press. Trump did not specify what the U.S. money will be used for, and NBC reported that he did not say where it would come from; the White House did not respond to NBC’s inquiry.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait are the countries making the pledges, Trump said, per Al Jazeera and the AP. “Every dollar spent is an investment in stability,” he said. The pledges are a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza after more than two years of war, Al Jazeera and the AP reported.

Five countries — Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania — pledged troops for an international stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan committed to training police, according to Al Jazeera, the AP and NBC. The force is to start in Rafah, which is under Israeli control, Al Jazeera and the AP said. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, the force’s commander, said the plans call for 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers, the AP reported.

More than 40 countries and the European Union sent officials, Al Jazeera and the AP said. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and Britain are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined but attended as observers. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Argentine President Javier Milei were among the few leaders who traveled to Washington, the AP reported. NBC noted that several allies, including Britain, France, Norway and Sweden, declined to join, with some citing a charter that makes no direct mention of Gaza and the body’s potential to undermine the United Nations.

The board began as part of Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza war, but since the October ceasefire his vision has grown into a body meant to help resolve conflicts around the world, the AP and Al Jazeera reported. Trump pushed back on suggestions that it could rival the U.N.: “Someday I won’t be here. The United Nations will be,” he said, adding that the board would be “almost looking over” the U.N. and “making sure it runs properly,” according to the AP and NBC.

Disarmament remains the sticking point. Al Jazeera reported that Hamas has been reluctant to hand over weapons while Israel continues attacks on Gaza, and the AP wrote that Hamas has given little confidence that it will move forward. A U.S. official told the AP the administration is “under no illusions” about the challenge. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the gathering, “We have a long ways to go.” NBC and Al Jazeera noted the board has faced criticism over a lack of Palestinian representation after Israel joined, and Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza City said Palestinians want concrete solutions rather than pledges.

Trump also used the meeting to address Iran, saying the outcome of talks could come within about 10 days, NBC reported.