Netanyahu Joins Trump’s Peace Commission

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that he has decided to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace commission. This comes after Netanyahu’s office had previously voiced concerns about the committee’s executive board composition.

Interestingly, Türkiye, a regional competitor, is also part of this committee.

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office confirmed that he has accepted the invitation extended by President Trump.

Initially, the peace commission was supposed to consist of a small group of global leaders targeting a ceasefire in Gaza. However, it seems that the scope of the project has expanded significantly, with Trump inviting numerous countries and implying that a quasi-UN Security Council might tackle worldwide disputes.

More information is anticipated on Thursday when Trump speaks about the peace commission at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Although the full guidelines of the board are not publicly available yet, a draft seen by The Associated Press suggests that a significant amount of authority will rest with Trump. For instance, securing a permanent seat could cost a $1 billion contribution.

As of now, at least eight nations have committed to being part of this initiative: Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Argentina, and Belarus.

Additionally, invitations have been dispatched to Paraguayan leader Santiago Peña, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Other countries receiving invites include Russia, India, Slovenia, Thailand, and the European Union’s executive body.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned that they are currently assessing the details and aim to clarify various aspects in their discussions with the U.S. President Trump confirmed on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has also been invited.

The number of leaders who will actually accept the invitations remains uncertain.

Key members of the executive committee encompass Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law), former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and World Bank President Ajay Banga, among others.

The White House also announced a new Gaza Executive Council, intended to implement the challenging second phase of the ceasefire deal.

This phase includes measures like deploying international security forces, disarming Hamas, and rebuilding devastated areas.

Nikolai Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and UN special envoy to the Middle East, will lead the Gaza Executive Committee that handles daily operations. Other participants will include Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, and various officials from Turkey and Qatar, along with other experts focused on the region’s issues.

The board will also oversee a newly formed committee of Palestinian technocrats to manage daily activities in Gaza.