Trump Says World Leaders Want to Join “Legendary” Gaza Board of Peace

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that world leaders want to join the Gaza Board of Peace, the international body created under his Gaza plan. Speaking during an economic event in the White House Roosevelt Room, Trump said the interest in the board has grown far beyond what his team originally expected.

“We’ll do it early next year,” Trump said regarding the announcement of the board’s composition. “It’ll be one of the most legendary boards ever. Everybody wants to be on it.” He added that the members are expected to be “the heads of the most important countries,” noting that the administration initially assumed it would draw “very distinguished people that do that kind of thing for a living,” but that instead “the kings, the presidents, the prime ministers, they want to be on the Board of Peace.”

The Board of Peace was formally authorized in a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted on November 17. Drafted by the United States, the resolution describes the board as a transitional administration responsible for setting Gaza’s redevelopment framework, coordinating funding, and overseeing governance until the Palestinian Authority completes its reform program and is able to take control.

Under the same resolution, countries working with the board are empowered to establish an International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza. The mandate authorizes the force to act “by all necessary means,” forming the basis for the security mechanism that will be responsible for disarming Hamas and enforcing the ceasefire conditions.

Tim Waltz, US Ambassador to the UN visiting Israel, said in an interview to Channel 12 that the Board of Peace, not the UN itself, will supervise implementation of the 20-point plan. They described a structure in which a Palestinian technocratic transitional government would operate under the board’s approval, while the ISF manages security and U.S. regional command coordinates humanitarian and logistical arrangements with Israel.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair had been considered the leading candidate to chair the board, but several Arab and Muslim states objected to his appointment due to his support for the 2003 Iraq War, according to the Financial Times. Despite the opposition, Blair is expected to join the board’s smaller managing committee alongside Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, a group that will operate below the senior lineup of state leaders.

U.S. officials have also said that progress toward the next phases of the Gaza plan depends on resolving the hostage issue, including the case of fallen IDF soldier Ron Gvili, whose body remains in Hamas custody.

Trump said that the full list of world leaders joining the Board of Peace will be released early next year as diplomatic consultations continue.