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US officials have floated the idea of broadening the Gaza “peace board” chaired 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 notion of giving the nascent body an expanded mandate to mediate beyond the Middle East.
A person briefed on the idea said he believed the Trump administration sees the peace board as “a possible alternative to the United Nations … a kind of parallel informal body to deal with other conflicts beyond Gaza”.
The board is expected to be unveiled at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos next week, diplomats said.
The proposal to extend the board’s mandate has heightened the unease of other governments about supporting the Trump-controlled body, whose original purpose was to help run the breakaway Palestinian territory after the devastating two-year Israel-Hamas war.
“There is caution in the region regarding this idea,” said one Arab diplomat. He said that this topic has been discussed among the regional officials. “This is not a normal process.”
A US official said Friday that the peace board’s plan focused on the Israel-Gaza conflict and had not expanded beyond that at that time.
In a post a day earlier, Trump announced that the board had been “formed” and that its membership – which is expected to include other world leaders – would be unveiled “shortly”.
“I can say with certainty that this is the greatest and most prestigious board ever assembled at any time, in any place,” he wrote on his Truth social platform.
Many details of how the board will function remain unclear, including its exact composition as well as the legal mandate with which it will act beyond the Middle East. It was formally authorized by a UN Security Council resolution in November to monitor Gaza’s post-war transition.
The idea of expanding the board’s scope was first reported by Haaretz. U.S. officials this week said invitations were sent to potential board members 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 a little bit like it was supposed to happen.”
The White House said, “The entire world wants to be a part of President Trump’s historic effort to bring peace to the Middle East.” “Any announcement of membership of the Board of Peace shall be made directly by the President.”
The State Department declined to comment on the idea of expanding the board’s mandate.
The board aims to mark an important step in the transition to the next phase of Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. Day-to-day governance of the enclave will be controlled by a Palestinian technical committee, overseen by Nikolay Mladenov, Bulgaria’s former defense minister and UN envoy.
Diplomats said U.S. officials had chosen Venezuela, which has been in turmoil since the capture of Nicolas Maduro this month, as the future region for the board to mediate.
Regarding Ukraine, a senior Kiev official involved in discussions with the US said that a separate peace board – also chaired by Trump – was a key part of Russia’s proposals to end the war.
“Currently, it has been suggested that this special board will be established specifically for the Ukraine-Russia case,” the official said.
He said this board – which includes representatives from Ukraine, Europe, NATO and Russia – would monitor and guarantee the implementation of the 20-point peace proposal, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described as “90 percent ready”.
The official also said that the US has not specified whether this board will be overseen by an overarching body.
“We did not discuss the idea of expanding the scope of this board,” he said. “We believe that, at least in (this) first phase, the Board will focus on monitoring (this) special peace agreement.”
Additional reporting by Abigail Hauslohner
