THE White House is planning the first official leaders’ meeting for President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” on February 19, Axios reported on Friday, citing a U.S. official and diplomats from four countries that are members of the board.
According to Axios, the meeting is still in the early planning stages and could undergo changes. The event, to be held at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, is expected to serve not only as a discussion forum on Gaza but also as a fundraising conference for reconstruction efforts in the region.
Reuter cited that the meeting is scheduled to take place a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet Trump at the White House on February 18.
The White House and U.S. State Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump launched the board in late January, claiming it would work to resolve global conflicts under his leadership.
The announcement prompted concerns among experts that the initiative could undermine the United Nations’ authority.
While some Middle Eastern allies of Washington have agreed to participate, many of the United States’ traditional Western partners have opted to stay away.
A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorised the board and participating countries to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a Trump-backed plan signed by Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Under that plan, the board was originally intended to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump later stated that its mandate would expand to address global conflicts more broadly.
Rights experts and scholars have criticised the board, noting that it effectively places oversight of a foreign territory in the hands of a single nation and lacks Palestinian representation.
“Many rights experts say that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory's affairs resembled a colonial structure,” the Axios report noted.
The ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated since its inception, with over 550 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed in hostilities since October.
Israel’s military assault on Gaza since late 2023 has claimed more than 71,000 Palestinian lives, created widespread hunger, and displaced the entire population within the territory.
Multiple rights groups, scholars, and a U.N. inquiry have described the attacks as amounting to genocide, while Israel maintains its actions are acts of self-defense following a Hamas-led attack in late 2023 that killed 1,200 people and saw over 250 hostages taken.
The upcoming White House meeting is being closely watched internationally, raising questions about the board’s legitimacy, its role in Gaza, and the broader implications for U.S. involvement in conflict resolution in the Middle East. - February 7, 2026
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