Patriot Brief

  • What Happened: Israel joined President Trump's "Board of Peace" initiative, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signing on during his Washington visit.
  • Why It Matters: The board, chaired by Trump, will supervise Gaza's temporary governance and tackle global conflicts, with its first meeting set for Feb. 19.
  • Bottom Line: Many Western allies have stayed away from the board while Middle Eastern allies have joined, raising concerns it could undermine the United Nations.

Israel just signed onto President Trump's "Board of Peace," a global initiative designed to tackle conflicts and supervise Gaza's reconstruction.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday during his visit to Washington that Israel has joined the board. After meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu posted on X that he "signed Israel's accession as a member of the Board of Peace."

Netanyahu was in Washington to discuss Iran with Trump. But the Board of Peace became a major focus of the visit.

The board was authorized by a U.N. Security Council resolution in mid-November to establish an international stabilization force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a Trump plan signed by Israel and Hamas. Under the plan, the board was meant to supervise Gaza's temporary governance. Trump later expanded the board's mission to tackle global conflicts, with himself as chair.

The board will hold its first meeting on February 19 in Washington to discuss Gaza's reconstruction.

Countries have reacted cautiously to Trump's invitation. Many experts are concerned that the board could undermine the United Nations. While some of Washington's Middle Eastern allies have joined, many traditional Western allies have stayed away.

The ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated since it began in October. At least 580 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, and four Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed. Israel's military campaign has killed over 72,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and caused a severe hunger crisis.

Multiple rights experts, scholars, and a U.N. inquiry have accused Israel of genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defense after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in a late 2023 attack.

Trump's Board of Peace is designed to cut through the UN bureaucracy and actually solve problems instead of talking about them. Israel is in. Middle Eastern allies are in. And Western allies who prefer endless meetings over real action are staying out.

That tells you everything you need to know about who wants peace and who just wants process.