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US officials have floated the idea of expanding a “Board of Peace” in Gaza led by Donald Trump to include other hotspots such as Ukraine and Venezuela, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Western and Arab diplomats have expressed concerns about the idea of giving the new body an expanded mandate to mediate more in the Middle East.
One person briefed on the idea said they believed the Trump administration was looking at the Peace Council “as a potential replacement for the UN …
Diplomats said the board is expected to reveal the World Economic Forum at the Swiss resort of Davos next week.
The proposal to expand the board’s mandate has increased the nervousness of other governments about endorsing the Trump-controlled body, which was originally intended to help the fractured Palestinian enclave after two years of Israel-Hamas. WAR.
“There is caution in the region about (this idea),” said an Arab diplomat, adding the topic was discussed by regional officials. “This is not a normal procedure.”
A US official on Friday said that planning for the Peace Council is focused on the Israel-Gaza conflict and has not expanded beyond that point.
In a post the other day, Trump announced that the board “has been formed” and that its membership – expected to include other world leaders – will be revealed “soon”.
“I can say with certainty that this is the Biggest and Greatest Board meeting at any time, any place,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Many details of how the board will operate remain unclear, including its precise composition as well as the legal mandate under which it will operate beyond the Middle East. It was formally authorized to oversee Gaza’s post-war transition by a UN Security Council resolution last November.
The idea of expanding the board’s remit was first reported by Haaretz. US officials this week said invitations to prospective board members were sent on Wednesday, but did not say to whom.
“People are in a celebratory mood,” a US official said. “The fact that it coincides with Davos feels like it should.”
“The whole world wants to be a part of President Trump’s historic effort to bring peace to the Middle East,” the White House said. “Any announcements on the membership of the Board of Peace from the president directly.”
The state department declined to comment on the idea of expanding the board’s mandate.
The board is intended to mark an important step in moving to the next phase of Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. Day-to-day management of the enclave will be overseen by a Palestinian technocratic committee chaired by Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian defense minister and UN envoy.
Diplomats said U.S. officials have floated Venezuela, which has been in turmoil since the arrest of Nicolás Maduro this month, as a future site for the mediation board.
Regarding Ukraine, a senior official in Kyiv involved in the US discussions said that a separate peace board – also chaired by Trump – is an important part of the proposals to end the war with Russia.
“Now, it is proposed that this particular board be established especially for the Ukraine-Russia case,” the official said.
They added that this board – including representatives of Ukraine, Europe, Nato and Russia – will monitor and guarantee the implementation of the 20-point peace proposal that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “90 percent ready”.
The official also said that the US has not determined that this board will be overseen by a wider body.
“We have not discussed the idea of expanding the scope of this board,” they said. “We believe that, at least in (this) first stage, the board will focus on monitoring (this) particular peace settlement.”
Additional reporting by Abigail Hauslohner