Trump says FIFA raising $75mn for projects in Gaza

The US president, continuing his address to the Board of Peace meeting, says these projects will all be related to “soccer”, or football, as most of the world knows the sport. Without giving much detail, he said that there will be “fields” built and that “the greatest stars” in world football would go to Gaza.

Trump also thanked FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, present at the meeting, for the peace prize that FIFA awarded to him.

“I got screwed by Norway, and they said ‘Let’s give him a peace prize,'” Trump said, reiterating his anger at not being awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. “Thank you, Giannai, I appreciate it. Gianni is very smart,” Trump added.

Trump says board members have committed $7bn, ‘troops and police’

Trump has provided more details on funding and troop pledges he floated earlier this week.

Trump said Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have all contributed more than $7bn toward the relief package”. The figure is higher than the $5bn Trump had previously said had been committed. He did not provide further details on the funds.

Trump also thanked Indonesia, which has preliminarily said it will provide 1,000 troops to an international stabilisation force in Gaza. He said that “Albania, Kosovo and Kazakhstan have all committed troops and police to stabilise Gaza”.

“Egypt and Jordan are likewise providing very, very substantial help… training and support for a very trustworthy Palestinian police force,” he added.

Experts have warned that countries are unlikely to deploy an international force until a Hamas disarmament agreement is reached and Israeli ceasefire violations end.

US committing $10bn to Board of Peace

The president has pledged a $10bn contribution from the US to the Board of Peace.

“The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room,” Trump said, adding that “we’ve had great support for that number.”

“So many conflicts, they say, are impossible to settle,” he continued. “Of those eight that we settled, most of them are said to be not settle-able. They not only got settled – they got settled in days. More impossible problems can be solved as we go along this beautiful path.”

Fact-checking the eight wars Trump has 'ended'

Last year, Trump claimed that he "ended 8 wars in just 8 months" in a social media post with the title "the president of peace". His latest addition to his list of wars "ended" is the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas. The other seven were between Israel and Iran, Pakistan and India, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo.

A number of these conflicts lasted just days, although they were the result of long-standing tensions - and one of them had no fighting to end. It is also unclear whether some of the peace agreements will last. James O'Brien is joined by Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews Phillips O'Brien.

Trump warns ‘bad things will happen’ without Iran deal

Pivoting to tensions with Iran, Trump has proclaimed that “now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we’re doing”.

“If they join us, that’ll be great, and if they don’t, that’ll be great too, but it’ll be a very different path,” the president said. “They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region.”

“They must make a deal,” he added. “Bad things will happen if it doesn’t.”

'90% CHANCE' Of IRAN War As Iraq War Level Mil Equipment Deployed

Krystal and Saagar discuss the imminent Iran war as the US builds up troops.

Board of Peace will ‘look over’ United Nations: Trump

Closing out his remarks, Trump has said that the Board of Peace will overlook the United Nations to make sure “it runs properly”. Trump said the board could help the UN “money-wise and make sure it’s viable”, without elaborating on what he meant.

He also returned to his oft-repeated phrase that the UN “has tremendous potential”. “This is going to be something,” the president said. “The Board of Peace will be something the likes of which nobody has seen before.”

Despite Trump’s comments, UN doesn’t allow for oversight

While the president has praised the United Nations, it’s very clear this is a parallel body. That is going to be a problem with US law, given that the pledges the president has made need to be approved by Congress.

Also, the United Nations is its own independent body. In its charter, it doesn’t allow for any sort of oversight.

And yet, it appears the US President feels he needs to “fix up” the United Nations, talking about how it has tremendous potential, it has not lived up to.

We’re very scant on details, but what is clear is that while Trump has been talking about establishing peace – and that’s the main mandate of this board – he simultaneously also threatened countries, like Iran, and also Hamas, if his definition of peace is not achieved.

Vance says board about ‘making peace stick’

“I think what this board of peace represents is a recognition that if you actually have a president of the United States and a team that’s committed to diplomacy, it can actually work,” he said.

However, the picture is far more complicated, with the US, during both the Trump administration and the former administration of US President Joe Biden, repeatedly vetoing UN resolutions calling for an end to the genocide before the launch of the Board of Peace.

“You’ve got to make peace, but then you have to make the peace stick,” Vance added. “And that brings me to my second point. That’s what the Board of Peace, I think, is fundamentally about, is making the peace stick.”

Rubio: Israel-Gaza conflict ‘impossible to solve’ without Trump

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered a few remarks, claiming that Israel’s war on Gaza proved “impossible” to fix through existing international mechanisms.

“This was a very unique crisis in Gaza, one that existing international institutions could not solve or figure out,” he said, noting that Trump’s approach sought to “think outside the box”.

“We hope that this can serve as a model for other complex and difficult situations, but right now the focus is on this one,” the secretary said. In Gaza, he said, “We have a long ways to go.”

Yeah that ethnic cleansing isn't going as planned...

Head of Trump-appointed Palestinian committee says ‘operating in extremely difficult conditions’

Ali Shaath, the head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian technocratic committee appointed by the Trump administration to handle daily operations in Gaza, has spoken.

Shaath pointed to the “extremely difficult conditions” in the enclave. “Large parts of the Gaza Strip are severely damaged, destroyed. … Humanitarian needs are acute. Law and order remain fragile,” he said.

He said his committee would focus on four areas.

“Firstly, restore security via professional civilian police under one authority, one law, … including training and developing 5,000 Gazan police to be deployed in 60 days,” he said.

“Secondly, revive economic activities and livelihoods, creating decent jobs, especially for our young population. … Thirdly, ensure sustainable emergency relief. … Fourthly, restore basic services, including electricity, water, health and education” and movement, he continued.

Nickolay Mladenov announces creation of ‘office of the high representative for Gaza’

The Bulgarian politician and diplomat, who is currently serving as the director-general of the Gaza Board of Peace has just announced the creation of the new office, under the board’s auspices.

The high representative “will be there to support, to guide and assist the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, hopefully removing the roadblocks they will be facing in taking over civilian and administrative control of the Gaza Strip”, he said.

He also claimed the office will be working in “full transparency” and in close coordination with Israel and “Palestinian institutions”.

Commander of international stabilisation force outlines plan for deployment

General Jasper Jeffers, who has been appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) planned for Gaza, has outlined the plan for deployment.

Jeffers said “US military experts” have been preparing the infrastructure for the ISF for months, operating from a joint operation centre in Israel.

“Our plan is for the ISF to be assigned in five different sectors, each sector receiving one ISF brigade. In the short term, we plan to deploy to the Rafa sector first, in addition to the training of police,” he said.

He said the midterm plan “is to continue to expand sector by sector, all moving to our long term, 12,000 police and 20,000 ISF soldiers”.

Jeffers also said that Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania have committed troops to the force, while Egypt and Jordan have agreed to train police.

He added that Indonesia has “accepted the position of deputy commander for the ISF. With these first steps, we will help bring the security that Gaza needs for our future prosperity and enduring peace”.

Experts have warned that ISF deployment will likely be a non-starter without an end to Israeli ceasefire violations and a voluntary Hamas disarmament agreement.

Gaza’s coastline worth $50bn, Apollo Global Management CEO says

Marc Rowan, the CEO of Apollo Global Management and an executive board member of the Board of Peace, has spoken about the estimated investment potential of Gaza.

“The potential here is tremendous,” Rowan said, claiming that the Gaza coastline alone offers “$50bn in value on a conservative basis”.

The board first plans to start building 100,000 homes for about 500,000 people plus $5bn in infrastructure, Rowan said, while “gathering Gaza’s productive assets in one unified structure”.

“It just needs to be unlocked and financed,” he said.

Trump has frequently described Gaza as a real estate venture.

Unlocked as in get the Palestinians out of the way...

World Bank Group president says will serve as ‘limited trustee’ managing donor funds

Ajay Banga has also addressed the summit, saying the World Bank will serve as the “limited trustee” of donor funds, meaning it will “manage the donor contributions coming in… and then we help to manage that money while it stays with us”.

Banga said that “under the direction of the Board of Peace, we disperse the money for reconstruction and development projects in Gaza”.

He said that the Board of Peace “takes the ownership of ensuring that the right kind of financial, legal and oversight mechanisms are being put in place”, but that the World Bank has assigned a financial controller “on a secondment basis… to ensure that we can try and help build the best standards in this process”.

“Now this is just the beginning. This work is going to need two or three things that the World Bank Group can bring to the table. The first is leveraging of public finance”, he said.

“The second is, we can de-risk private investing. And the third is we have people on the ground [with] expertise and knowledge of doing this kind of work in other markets”, he said.

AKA how can we funnel more tax dollars into the pockets of billionaires.

Promotional video promises ‘new dawn for Gaza’

A video about the Board of Peace’s plans for the Gaza Strip has been aired, hailing Trump’s “unparalleled achievements” and showcasing real estate renderings.

The narration began by claiming, “The war Hamas began has left Gaza in ruins.”

“Yet from these ruins, a new future will rise,” the narrator said as clips played of Trump shaking hands with leaders, Vance giving speeches, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and people appearing to celebrate in the streets with Israeli and US flags.

The board’s goal is to “fully” rebuild Rafah in three years, curb unemployment and make Gaza “fully connected to the world through an Abrahamic gateway”, the narrator continued.

More footage of Gaza’s imagined future rolled, including apparently AI-generated images of trains and construction projects, rows of high-rise buildings and cars travelling down streets resembling US suburbs.

“This is the framework for Gaza’s rebirth: secure. prosperous and peaceful,” the narrator concluded.

Mention of Israel conspicuously absent in Board of Peace’s Gaza video

There has been a lot of bias injected in all of this process, particularly when the video talks about how Gaza was destroyed in the first place. It made no mention of the Israeli military’s role in its destruction, as well as the lapses in the “ceasefire”.

So it already calls into question just how fair this process is going to be with regard to the Board of Peace, even though we heard from Jared Kushner, the Middle East envoy there, just a moment ago, saying that if Jews and Muslims work together towards a common goal, there will be peace and togetherness.

When you hear other comments that are so clearly one-sided, it’s hard to imagine.

Why have Trump’s European allies declined to join the board?

As countries announced their participation in Trump’s Board of Peace, for the US’s European allies, accepting the invitation was more complex.

While the UK, Italy, and Germany are sending representatives and observers to today’s meeting, they have rejected a formal invitation to join the board.

Last month, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that the UK would not be signing up to the board and described it as a “legal treaty that raises much broader issues” than ending the war in Gaza, also referring to concerns over the invitation to Russia.

Italy also declined an offer to join the board over constitutional incompatibility, which states that Rome can only join organisations on equal terms with other states. Germany also cited constitutional restraints as a reason why it had not accepted the offer.

France rejected its invitation to join the board and is not sending a representative after citing concerns that Trump was seeking to usurp the United Nations’ functions and that the US president would have extensive powers beyond transitional governance of the Gaza Strip.

Norway to host donor meeting for Palestinians, won’t join Trump’s Board of Peace

Norway plans to host a meeting this spring of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHCL) for Palestinian aid, but is not joining US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry says in a statement.

Trump told the first edition of his peace initiative that $7bn has been raised for a Gaza reconstruction fund and that Norway had agreed to “host an event bringing together the Board of Peace”.

Norway has for decades led the AHCL, which was set up in the wake of the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords that sought to bring to an end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, although peace in the region remains elusive.

“The United States, together with the European Union, are vice-chairs of this group… We are in contact with the US about how we can also talk about the peace plan for Gaza there,” a spokesperson for Norway’s Foreign Ministry said.

“Norway has clearly communicated that we will not become a member of the Board of Peace, and this position remains firm.”

‘Surprising’ participation from European Commission in Trump meeting, France says

A spokesperson says France’s Foreign Ministry is surprised that the European Commission has sent an official to Trump’s Board of Peace meeting in Washington, DC, adding that it does not have a mandate to represent EU member states.

“Regarding the European Commission and its participation, in reality, we are surprised because it does not have a mandate from the [European] Council to go and participate,” Pascal Confavreux told reporters.

He added that as far as Paris is concerned, the Board of Peace needs to recast its focus to be on Gaza in line with a UN Security Council resolution.

Confavreux said that until the ambiguity is lifted, France would not take part in Trump’s meeting.

Turkiye willing to send troops to Gaza, decries violations of ‘ceasefire’

Turkiye’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, says Ankara is ready to commit troops to Gaza.

“We can also contribute meaningfully to the rehabilitation of health and education sectors as well as the training of the police force. In addition, we are prepared to provide troops to the International Stabilization Force,” he said.

Netanyahu has explicitly opposed Turkiye sending troops to Gaza.

Fidan also referenced the continued violations of the Gaza “ceasefire”, which experts said are likely to hinder foreign force deployment.

“The humanitarian situation remains fragile and ceasefire violations continue to occur. A prompt, coordinated and effective response is, therefore, essential,” Fidan said.

More pledges from the ongoing Board of Peace meeting

Here are some other notable comments made by countries’ representatives at the Board of Peace meeting, which is still ongoing:

Israel’s top diplomat says Board of Peace addresses ‘heart of the problem’

Gideon Saar has offered praise for the Board of Peace, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined in February after initially opposing the plan.

The addition has piqued concerns about increased Israeli influence over the board, with the US regularly seen as acting on Israel’s behalf in the UN Security Council.

While Trump has appointed a Palestinian technocratic committee to oversee daily operations in Gaza, there is no Palestinian representation on the wider board, which critics say will block the potential to find solutions to longstanding intractable political issues that risk the continued resurgence of violence.

Saar, however, said Trump had offered “the first plan to address the root of the problem”, pointing to the “disarmament of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, demilitarisation of Gaza Strip and deradicalisation of Palestinian society there”.

“We support it and are working and will work toward its success,” he said.

Israel needs to be disarmed and deradicalized... That is the root of the 'problem'. End the colonial genocide.

Massive 80-Nation Statement: UN Arab Group Condemns Israeli West Bank Decisions

Palestinian Permanent Observer to the United Nations Riyad H. Mansour delivered a statement on behalf of the Arab Group condemning recent Israeli decisions in the West Bank. Mansour called the measures unlawful, violating international law, and said they threaten peace efforts, self-determination for Palestinians, and prospects for a two-state solution.

Protesters say ‘no concrete plan’ possible without Palestinian participation

Dozens of people are gathered outside the United States Institute for Peace, where the Board of Peace meeting is under way, to protest Israel’s participation amid the exclusion of Palestinian voices.

A mobilisation of police nearby indicated Trump’s motorcade will “soon be on the move”, Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapolo reported from the scene, as protesters chanted “Gaza is not for sale” and “Free Palestine”.

“The underlying narrative here is that without discussing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, there is no concrete plan that could be put in place”, Rapolo said.

The board has repeatedly offered its vision for a Gaza development plan. But without the voice from “any sort” of Palestinian authority, protesters are adamant that “there can’t be a road to peace”, Rapolo said.

_{Protesters outside the United States Institute for Peace}