Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Wednesday he has accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his proposed international Board of Peace.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he accepts the invitation of US President Donald Trump and will become a member of the Board of Peace, which is to be comprised of world leaders,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office wrote on social media.
The “Board of Peace” is an initiative originally tasked with overseeing the next steps in Gaza’s rebuilding. Later reports suggest that the the proposal “morphed” towards a broader, more ambitious concept, with President Trump extending invitations to dozens of nations and hinting it will soon broker global conflicts. Breitbart News reported this week that membership in the proposed board would have a three-year tenure, with nations having the option to secure a permanent membership seat through a $1 billion contribution.
At press time, Israel is the latest country to accept President Trump’s invitation. Other countries that have also agreed to take part in the proposal include the United Arab Emirates, Hungary, and Morocco, among others. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly expected to accept or reject Trump’s invitation “very soon.” Russia, who was also extended an invitation to the proposal, will “consider” it in detail according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin.
The Associated Press reports that Netanyahu’s decision to join the board “could now put him in conflict” with allies in his government coalition, such as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has been critical of the board of peace proposed role with regards to rebuilding Gaza.
AP described the announcement of Netanyahu’s acceptance as a “departure” from the previous stand by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office after it previously said that the composition of the Gaza executive committee wasn’t coordinated with the Israeli government and ran “contrary to its policy,” without clarifying its objections.
Paraguay, led by conservative President Santiago Peña accepted Trump’s invitation earlier this week. Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano pointed out that the invitation represents an “excellent” opportunity for his country, and detailed that his office is already in talks with the U.S. State Department to work out and clarify details for President Peña.
Last week, Argentine President Javier Milei revealed that President Trump invited Argentina to join the proposal as a founding member state. Milei, through an effusive Spanish and English social media post, described the invitation as a “honor” to share such a great responsibility and emphasized that Argentina “will always stand with the countries that confront terrorism head-on, that defend life and property, and that promote peace and freedom.”