By Emel Akan & Jacob Burg
Contributing Writers
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hosted the first Board of Peace meeting on Thursday in Washington, bringing together heads of state and representatives from more than two dozen countries to discuss the U.S.-backed peace plan to demilitarize and rebuild Gaza.
During the event, Trump announced a $10 billion U.S. commitment to the Board of Peace. He commended Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait for also contributing more than $7 billion for the new peace initiative.
As he opened his speech at the event, Trump emphasized unity and collective responsibility in achieving peace in Gaza.
“We work together to ensure a brighter future for the people of Gaza, the Middle East, and the entire world,” he said.
While the new effort primarily focused on rebuilding Gaza, Trump emphasized that the initiative could expand to further support global peace in the future.
More than 25 Board of Peace member states have pledged financial support for Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and committed thousands of personnel for security in the Gaza Strip.
“Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we do,” Trump said.
“They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region, and they must make a deal.”
He also expressed optimism that a deal with Iran could be achieved in the next 10 days.
If a deal is not reached, he said, “bad things will happen.”
The White House said on Wednesday that more than 40 nations and the European Union would be sending representatives to the board’s first meeting, including some that have declined Trump’s invitation to join the board as member states.
Taking place at the recently renamed U.S. Institute of Peace, it is the group’s first official meeting after officials from the board’s founding member states gathered onstage with Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month.
“Since the president and his world-class team ended the war between Israel and Hamas last October, we have maintained the ceasefire, delivered historic amounts of humanitarian aid, and freed every single living and dead hostage,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.
“The Board of Peace will continue this historic success and prove itself to be the most consequential international body in history.”
Countries that sent representatives are Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, the EU, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
