President Donald Trump promised on Thursday, February 19th $10 billion (€8.5 billion) for his Board of Peace initiative, a new institution focused first on Gaza.
Trump welcomed some two dozen allies from around the world to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, declaring that the United States would contribute $10 billion to the initiative, whose goals include rebuilding Gaza—which was reduced to rubble during two years of Hamas-led war against Israel. According to the president,
Together we can achieve the dream of bringing lasting harmony to a region tortured by centuries of war, suffering.
In his speech, Trump said he wanted to pursue more peace deals:
It’s all about an easy word to say, but a hard word to produce—peace.
The Board of Peace came together after the Trump administration, working with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire last October to halt two years of devastating war in Gaza.
The United States says that the plan has now entered its second phase with a focus on disarming Hamas—the antisemitic Palestinian terror group whose unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack on Israel triggered massive retaliation.
The meeting will also look at how to launch the International Stabilization Force that will ensure security in Gaza.
A key player will be Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, which has said it is ready to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza if the force is confirmed.
The inaugural meeting brought allies of Trump, including Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
