US invites Israel to Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’, even as Netanyahu govt objects to Gaza panel

The United States has formally invited Israel to participate in President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" initiative, a project designed to mediate international disputes, as reported by Reuters.

While Trump initially announced the Board of Peace last September as a localised framework for terminating the Gaza conflict, the invitation dispatched to global leaders last week indicates a significantly broader mandate to address wars on a worldwide scale, Reuters reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration has already voiced disapproval regarding the separate Gaza Executive Board established by Washington last week, asserting that its structure conflicts with Israeli national policy. This Gaza-specific body, which operates under the broader Board of Peace, is tasked by the White House with fostering stability and economic growth in the territory; notably, the board includes no Palestinian representatives.

Netanyahu’s office has not publicly detailed its specific grievances, though the Gaza board’s roster features Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and a high-ranking Qatari representative. Israeli leadership has consistently resisted any Turkish presence in Gaza’s post-war governance and maintains a strained, complex relationship with Qatar, which serves as the primary intermediary with Hamas.

The invitation to the overarching global board now places Israel in a position to weigh its strategic involvement in Trump’s expanding peace architecture.

The board’s charter “goes beyond the sole framework of Gaza”, an official close to President Emmanuel Macron told AFP.

“It raises major questions, particularly regarding respect for the principles and structure of the United Nations, which under no circumstances can be called into question,” officials said.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, France remains aligned with existing international structures. Earlier on Monday, the French foreign ministry emphasised its dedication to the UN, noting that it is examining the board's legality while expressing concerns that the initiative reaches beyond the Gaza situation.

“This remains the keystone of effective multilateralism, where international law, the sovereign equality of states, and the peaceful settlement of disputes prevail over arbitrariness, power politics and war,” it said.

“Canada will not pay for a seat on the board, nor has that been requested of Canada at this time,” the government official said.

Member countries – represented on the board by their head of state or government – would be allowed to join for three years or longer if they paid more than $1.0 billion in cash within the first year, the charter said.